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Premier Li meets Philippine president

Updated: Apr 25,2019 9:44 PM     english.gov.cn

Premier Li Keqiang meets with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on April 25 in Beijing.

Being close neighbors across the sea, China and the Philippines’ respective development and stability are closely related, the Premier said.

Ever since President Duterte took office, the China-Philippines relations have witnessed improvements, forging ahead on the right track.

China lauded the milestones reached by the Philippines in its economic and social development, the Premier said.

China is willing to align the Belt and Road Initiative with the Philippine strategy of construction, upscale the exchanges in economy and trade, and propel the cooperation projects of both sides, particularly the construction of infrastructure.

The stable status of the South China Sea region tallies with the common interests of China, the Philippines and other neighboring nations.

China will back up the Philippines’ role as the mediator of the China-ASEAN relations, eyeing the conclusion of the negotiation on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC).

China deems that nations around the South China Sea are sufficiently capable and wise to jointly uphold the peace and stability of the region, the Premier said, and China remains a stickler for dialogues and negotiations as solutions to address problems, in a bid to realize joint development.

Duterte said the Philippines cherishes the friendship with China, which is founded on mutual trust and respect.

In recent years, the bilateral cooperation has been largely improved. As the Belt and Road Initiative has made contributions to the world prosperity and interconnection, the Philippines is willing to deepen cooperation with China under this framework, he said.

At present, the Philippines is making great efforts to construct a good business environment, and investment from Chinese enterprises will be welcomed, Duterte said. The Philippines holds a steadfast position to make the South Sea a place of peace, friendship and cooperation, and he said he hopes the COC negotiation could be finished at an early date.