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WORLD NEWSWednesday 11 November

China to Philippines: No sea feud talk at APEC summit

Chinese Foreign Minster Wang Yi gestures as he arrives at the Department of Foreign Affairs for “They said they hope that meetings and promised
contentious issues will not “the warmth of Filipino
talks with Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario, left, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015 at suburban be raised during APEC,” hospitality,” according to
Department of Foreign Af- presidential spokesman
Pasay city, south of Manila, Philippines. It was Wang’s first visit to the country amid the two fairs spokesman Charles Herminio Coloma. The Phil-
Jose said in a news confer- ippines, Jose said, agreed
countries’ row over the Spratlys group of islands in the South China Sea. ence, when asked if the that the meetings in Manila
disputes were discussed in would not be the proper fo-
(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) Wang’s hour-long talk with rum to discuss the conflicts,
del Rosario. adding that Manila has a
TERESA CEROJANO ers in Manila next week, a rivals like Washington could Wang also mentioned that pending legal challenge
his Manila visit was to en- against Beijing’s massive
Associated Press Filipino official said. use it to criticize Beijing. sure that Xi’s visit “will be claims in the South ChinaS-
smooth, safe and success- ea before an international
MANILA, Philippines (AP) Chinese Foreign Minister Non-inclusion of the thorny ful,” Jose said. tribunal in The Hague. “In
Wang also met President the context of APEC, we
— China’s top diplomat Wang Yi’s request, relayed topic would also shield Chi- Benigno Aquino III in the both agreed that APEC is
first visit by a top Chinese an economic forum and
asked the Philippines Tues- to his Philippine counter- nese President Xi Jinping, official to Manila since the it won’t be a proper ven-
two Asian neighbors’ rela- ue to discuss political and
day not to raise conten- part Albert del Rosario dur- who is expected to attend tions soured in the last three security issues,” Jose said.
years due to overlapping Asked if other leaders can
tious issues — an obvious ing talks in Manila, under- the Nov. 18-19 Asia-Pacific claims in the South Chi- raise the thorny issue, Jose
na Sea, a regional conflict said they can. In Wash-
reference to the Asian scored Beijing’s objection Economic Cooperation fo- that involves four other ington, State Department
Asian governments, whose spokesman Mark Toner
neighbors’ territorial spats to any effort to bring the rum in Manila, from a po- leaders are attending the said Tuesday that APEC
Manila meetings. was primarily an economic
— in an annual economic long-raging disputes to an tentially embarrassing con- The last time a Chinese forum, and it was up to the
foreign minister visited the hosts to set the agenda,
summit of Asia-Pacific lead- international arena, where frontation. Philippines was in 2009 and but the South China Sea
Jose said Wang’s visit in it- could still be discussed on
self “is an indication that the sidelines. He said when
we can move the bilateral the U.S. meets with allies
relations forward.” and partners in the region
Aquino said he welcomed it’s an issue “that does
Xi’s decision to join the come up.”q

China says 2-child policy to add 30 million workers by 2050

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese moves away from the demographics at Peking ety’s aging process. processing applications
authorities expect that one-child policy to allow University, said the 30 mil- The policy is expected to for additional children
easing the country’s one- all couples to have two lion estimate appears to be formally adopted in and directing couples to
child policy will add more children. be conservative, given an the spring. prenatal care. Wang said
than 30 million people to The new policy is expect- estimate of 3 million extra About half of the women they are likely to see their
the country’s labor force ed to add 3 million extra births per year. “Maybe of child-bearing age ex- workload increase under
by 2050, a senior official births each year in the ini- the consideration is that pected to become eli- the new policy.
said Tuesday. tial years, Wang said. the birthrate will drop after gible for having a second “Their tasks will only in-
Wang Pei’an, spokes- China had 16.87 million the initial several years,” child will be in their 40s, crease and get heavier,
man for the National births last year, and the Lu said. Wang said. so this team can only be
Health and Family Plan- easing of the policy is Wang said the younger The country’s family plan- strengthened, not weak-
ning Commission, said expected to boost the blood will improve Chi- ning workers — notori- ened,” Wang said.
at a news conference annual figure to nearly na’s age makeup in the ous for their past work of He told reporters that Chi-
that more than 90 million 20 million births — in line labor force, lower the per- forced sterilization and na is not ready to abolish
women will become eli- with China’s population centage of the elderly in forced abortions to en- the birth limit because it
gible for having a second goals, he said. the population by 2 per- force the one-child policy still needs to manage the
child when China formally Lu Jiehua, an expert on cent, and slow the soci- — are also involved with population growth.q