China's official Xinhua News Agency reported last night that the Philippine delegation will leave for Beijing yesterday morning and arrive in Hong Kong on Friday. When the Hong Kong media followed up the relevant departments to confirm the details of the reception yesterday morning, the spokesman of the Chief Executive's Office in Hong Kong said yesterday morning that he had not received a notice from senior Philippine officials to visit Hong Kong to meet with the families of the victims.
Answering a reporter's question about a senior Philippine official's visit to China at noon yesterday, Jiang Yu, spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, said: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of the China in the Philippines have been in contact with the Philippine side about the hijacking of Hong Kong tourists in the Philippines? Close contacts have repeatedly emphasized China's position to the Philippines. About what you mentioned (that is, yesterday's high-level Philippine visit to China), both sides kept it? Contact. We believe that this incident must be investigated as soon as possible. 」
Our reporter learned about the incident from the Philippine Embassy in the Philippines and the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong many times yesterday, and learned that the Philippine high-level delegation did not leave in the end.
By 5 pm yesterday, the Philippine Foreign Ministry issued a statement and finally solved the mystery of visiting China. According to the statement, Vice President Binet.Alfred. Alfred, Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lassier and Interior Minister tommy robredo were scheduled to go to Beijing yesterday, but they cancelled their trip yesterday because they still haven't received the confirmation from the China government. However, the Philippine Foreign Ministry indicated that it still had to wait for confirmation from the China government and explain the relevant itinerary later.
Near 6 pm, the spokesman of the China Embassy in the Philippines accepted the telephone interview schedule of China News Service. China has clearly expressed its position to the Philippine government, demanding that the Philippine side "submit a comprehensive, accurate and objective investigation report to the China government as soon as possible" after thoroughly investigating the incident.
According to sources familiar with China's diplomacy, the meaning of the last sentence of the Foreign Ministry spokesman is very clear. Before explaining, let's investigate the incident. Now the incident has not been investigated clearly. What do senior Philippine officials come to Beijing to explain?
The English version of Xinhua News Agency published a report late last night, quoting the office of the vice president of the Philippines as saying that a high-level delegation of the Philippine government led by Binet.Alfred. Alfred will go to Beijing on Thursday (yesterday) to meet with China leaders, then go to Hong Kong on Friday (today) to meet with Chief Executive Donald Tsang to convey the message of the Philippine government, and meet with the victims and their families on Saturday. In response to this newspaper's inquiry yesterday, Xinhua stressed that the report of the Philippine Vice President's visit to Beijing and Hong Kong was obtained by his own reporters and the report was true.