Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang has cancelled his official visit to Manila, supposedly set for the first week of September. But the Department of Foreign Affairs said the cancellation had nothing to do with the hostage-taking incident that strains diplomatic relations between the two countries. Li was supposed to come for a three-day visit Sept. 5 to 7. He would have been the first high-level official of any country to visit the two-month-old Aquino government and was hoping to reaffirm his country's strategic partnership with the Philippines. In the hierarchy of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Li is set to succeed Wen Jiabao as Premier in the “fifth generation” of the CPC leadership. Premier Wen steps down in 2013, officials said. The Chinese embassy in Manila said it was uncertain if Li's visit will be reset at all. DFA Spokesman Ed Malaya said the Chinese Foreign Ministry informed the Philippine Embassy in Beijing about the postponement even before Aug. 23, the date when the hostage-taking incident took place. “The visit was postponed in view of the natural disasters that have recently beset China which resulted in many casualties and destruction,” Malaya said in a text message. The Chinese embassy confirmed that the vice premier decided to forgo the trip to personally handle relief efforts in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which was devastated by mudslides last month. Malaya said the Philippine embassy received the notice Aug. 20 and that Li likewise postponed his visit to two other member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The visit would have been part of the commemoration of RP-China bilateral relations that entered its 35th year in June. Chinese President Hu Jintao and former president Gloria Arroyo had pledged to break new ground in Philippine-China bilateral relations and increase friendly exchanges as the two countries reaffirm the commitment to move bilateral relations to a higher level of partnership and cooperation. Li was supposed to meet his counterpart, Vice President Jejomar Binay. A courtesy call on President Aquino was also being arranged. Aside from the state of general relations, Li would be reaffirming his government's commitment to the framework of cooperation for strategic partnership signed two years ago. The Philippines was bracing for a discussion on the issue of the disputed South China Sea, an issue China was expected to raise. In the last ASEAN Regional Forum in Hanoi, the Philippines raised anew the commitment of parties toward adopting a Regional Code of Conduct in the South China Sea and the reconvening of the ASEAN-China Joint Working Group meeting on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. The Philippines is among five claimants contesting the oil-rich Spratly chain of islands in the South China Sea. China and Vietnam claim the whole of the South China Sea, while the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan lay claim only to some islands.. Diplomatic relations between the two countries had been shaken following Monday's hostage crisis.
