BEIJING – A week after Chinese leader Xi Jinping assured China will not resort to hegemony, the Chinese government has promised to maintain good and healthy relations with the Philippines under President Rodrigo Duterte.
“We stand ready to continue to maintain close communication with the Philippine government under the leadership of President Duterte for stronger across-the-board cooperation and healthy development of China-Philippine relations,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a regular press conference on Thursday here.
Hua said the Chinese government is confident in the prospect of China-Philippine relations which, according to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, have entered the “golden period of development.”
“I believe this (healthy China-Philippines relations) is also what the countries and people of the region aspire to see,” she said.
Under Presidents Xi and Duterte, Hua said China and the Philippines have established very smooth and effective channels of communication and dialogue.
“The two sides have reached important consensus on managing differences on maritime affairs and the cooperation in various fields progressed smoothly,” the MFA spokesperson said.
Last May, the Philippines and China held the first successful meeting of the Bilateral Consultative Mechanism on the South China Sea dispute in Guiyang, China. The second BCM meeting is scheduled to be held in Manila later this year.
The BCM meeting, the first in so many years between the two countries, had been included as one of the major accomplishments of the CPC with Xi as the core in the last five years.
In his report to 19th CPC National Congress last week, General Secretary Xi assured that China will never seek hegemony “no matter what stage of development it reaches.”
Xi has emphasized the CPC’s commitment to settle disputes through peaceful dialogues and resolving differences through discussion.
Philippine-China relations turned sour after the Philippines filed an arbitration case before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Netherlands in 2013 to contest China’s nine-dash line claims for the major part of the disputed West Philippine Sea or South China Sea.
The Philippines won the case but China refused to honor the verdict, prompting President Duterte to temporarily put aside the ruling to allow peaceful settlement of the sea row through friendly dialogue and negotiations.
Hua said the Chinese government will continue to support the Philippines’ socioeconomic programs particularly President Duterte’s anti-illegal drug and anti-terrorism campaigns.
“The Chinese government highly values and actively supports the anti-drug action by President Rodrigo Duterte, and have been providing strong assistance for the anti-terrorism fight in Marawi and the ensuing reconstruction,” Hua said.
China had donated some PHP370 million worth of guns and ammunition to fight the terrorist Maute group and additional financial and heavy equipment for the rehabilitation and rebuilding of Marawi City.
Last month, President Duterte declared the liberation of Marawi City from ISIS-affiliated militants following a five-month standoff. (Jelly Musico/PNA)
