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The Philippines will be hosting its first World Economic Forum (WEF) East Asia. The country intends to showcase its economic growth potential since its comeback at the time of the Aquino administration.
However, WEF senior director Sushant Palakurthi Rao said in a statement last Thursday that China does not intend to attend the WEF East Asia. Rao explained that China had already attended the WEF Africa held in Nigeria. Rao added that the Chinese leader's schedule might have been already very tight since they are also expected to host the Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Tianjin.
Philippine Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima did not think that there was any connection between China's failure to attend the event and the mounting tensions over territorial disputes between the two countries. "I don't think so. I think what's important is we look at what we will discuss during this meeting and the quality of discourse and I think we are all excited to host the delegates who are coming," he said in a statement.
Interaksyon reports that China had attended previous World Economic Forum East Asia Summits such as the ones held in June last year in Myanmar and four years ago in June 2010 in Vietnam.
Despite statements released by representatives of the World Economic Forum and the Philippines, speculations still arise on the reason as to why China had decided not to attend the Forum this year.
The World Economic Forum East Asia, which will be held from May 21 to 23 at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati, Metro Manila expects to receive 600 participants from the business and civil sectors and at least two heads of states, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reports. Philippine President Benigno Aquino, III will be delivering the keynote address. The opening ceremonies will be done by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Myanmar Vice President U Nyan Tun and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.
The 23rd World Economic Forum aims to serve as the medium within which participants can discuss and exchange ideas on available opportunities to foster economic relations among East Asian countries.
