MANILA, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua said on Thursday that the China-Philippines relations have moved forward steadily and have delivered tangible outcomes.
In his welcome speech at a reception celebrating the 70th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China, Zhao said that China is committed to sharing the benefits of development with the Philippines, and also committed to being a good neighbor, a good partner and a good friend of the Philippines.
“China is now the Philippines' top trading partner, the largest source of imports and exports market as well as the second-largest tourist source,” he said, stressing that China and the Philippines once again reached important consensus on deepening mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields during Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s latest visit to China from Aug. 28 to Sept. 1.
Indeed, Zhao said China and the Philippines are now reaping the rich fruits of cooperation. In 2018, the bilateral trade volume between the two countries reached 55.7 billion U.S. dollars with an 8.5 percent year-on-year increase. China has become one of the largest foreign investment origins of the Philippines, with an amount of 66.62 million U.S. dollars last year, nearly 12.5 percent increase from 2017.
“China will continue to attach great importance to China-Philippines friendship and cooperation, and will work hand in hand with the Philippines to handle bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, bringing more benefits to the two peoples and injecting more positive energy to regional peace and stability,” he added.
Philippine Communications Secretary Martin Andanar lauded China for “taking out millions of millions of its citizens from the poverty level and that speak of so much success of the government in its domestic policies especially in the realm of giving a life that is more comfortable for everybody.”
“The current Philippines and China relations are better than ever. We are experiencing good economic trading strides. We are also experiencing growth in tourism from China. We are exporting more of our agricultural products to China. We are seeing many businesses and investors coming from China,” he told Xinhua in an interview at the reception.
Jose Malaya, the Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary, conveyed profound congratulations and best wishes to China on behalf of the Philippine government.
“We look forward to more productive collaboration and exchanges with China in the succeeding years as we continue to pursue a mutually beneficial relationship predicated on the values of friendship, sincerity, mutual trust, cooperation, and respect. Let us continue steadfastly on the path of constructive dialogue and frank discussion,” he said.
