MANILA, Philippines?Polishing his ways of diplomacy before appearing on the world stage, presumptive president-elect Sen. Benigno Aquino III Thursday met with the Chinese and Japanese ambassadors and discussed wide-ranging issues from peace in the Korean Peninsula to claims over the Spratly Islands and fighting drug traffickers.

Aquino spent at least one hour talking separately with Chinese Ambassador Liu Jinchao and Japanese Ambassador Makoto Katsura at his family?s residence on Times Street in Quezon City.

Liu briefed Aquino on China?s views of global concerns during his visit at 10:30 a.m. Katsura arrived at 1 p.m. to extend his congratulations to Aquino on his apparent victory in the presidential election.

?We had a very good briefing about China?s perspective of current international issues. Second, the hope there will be increased bilateral trade, among other things, between our countries, greater cooperation and then in the common fight against drug trafficking,? Aquino said of his meeting with Liu.

?And, of course, a short revisit of past contentious issues so as to not affect future relations between our two countries. So, we are very fortunate we have a very amiable, efficient and very progressive ambassador,? he added.

NBN-ZTE scandal

While he and Aquino did not touch on the scandalous National Broadband Network (NBN) deal with the Chinese company ZTE Corp., Liu said they had a ?very candid? talk about ?possible controversial issues.?

?We are very candid with that. As I said, I told many times that everybody involved should be learning a lesson now, and in the future we do the right things right,? said Liu, a former spokesperson of the Chinese foreign ministry.

?I think this is the right approach. We don?t want (issues) that took place in the past to hamper or hinder our relations. We are very positive about our future relations,? he said. ?I do hope the page will be turned over and we open up to a new stage.?

The ambassador said Beijing was determined to have ?transparent and clean contracts? with its trading partners.

?We have good potentials between our two countries in terms of infrastructure construction and we are very much ready to offer a helping hand to the construction in the Philippines,? Liu said.

Aquino said the Chinese offered to help in the investigation of the controversies involving Chinese investments in the country.

Learning curve

?Yes, I think we subscribe to the views of the ambassador that relationships between our countries do have a learning curve that we have to undergo. We have both learned lessons from that past, and there is the groundwork for resolving all these issues have already been put forward,? Aquino said.

?We?ll work out the mechanics. There is a pledge of cooperation and all of the investigation if necessary to put a closure on all of these issues. Once the closure is achieved, there have been other ventures and activities that are not controversial because primarily they have benefited from the lessons learned from that previous transaction,? he added.

Aquino said he and Liu also discussed how to improve cooperation in resolving disputes over contested areas in the South China Sea, particularly the Spratlys.

?I think what was stressed was the idea of cooperation. There are many countries that have claims with regards to the Spratly issue. There is no need or profit for any quarter to increase tension or conflict within the Spratly area,? he said.

He said claimant countries should ?be able to find ways and means to cooperate? in exploring and exploiting resources in the area ?to the mutual benefit of all parties involved.?

?And we are seeking not only benefit of individual countries but more so stability of the entire region, that I think is the better route to follow rather than emphasizing differences or potential conflicts,? Aquino said.

Liu said claimant countries should help ?maintain peace and stability? in the South China Sea.

?I think we could move one step forward if we have joint cooperation in this area while settling differences. It will help create a more favorable atmosphere for the future settlement of the dispute over these islands,? he said.

Tensions in Korea

Aquino said he and Liu also discussed the growing tensions in the Korean peninsula and that he asked the Chinese government to help calm the situation.

?I did make the request that they would be, as our neighbors, in the best position to influence, with the end point of defusing tensions in the Korean Peninsula. Again, it is a matter of concern. We are not that far off from the Korean Peninsula,? he said.

?And any tension there, especially given the fact there is a suspicion of nuclear capability as far as North Korea is concerned, might affect us negatively,? he said.

Aquino noted that China enjoyed a long relationship with the North Korean government ?and, therefore, would be in a good position to defuse the tensions presently enveloping the Korean Peninsula.?

Japanese congratulation

Japanese Ambassador Katsura said he visited Aquino to congratulate him on his electoral victory.

?My government would like to send a congratulatory message once (Aquino is) proclaimed. Today I came here to give my own personal congratulations to the senator,? he added.

Aquino said he and Katsura discussed wide-ranging issues involving bilateral ties, improving the investment climate in the country and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

?The ambassador gave us a briefing on the cooperation that exists between Japan and the Philippines. He looked at it in so many different thoughts, be it in investments, be it in (official development assistance),? he said.

?They have really been very good neighbors and partners to our country for a very long time. There were discussions also on the upcoming APEC summit in November, areas of concern on how to foster better relations between and among our countries,? he added. With reports from Cynthia D. Balana and Emil Sarmiento