DAVAO CITY—The governments of the Philippines and the People’s Republic of China underscored the improving relations between the two countries during bilateral meetings of top-level officials on Monday.
One of the highlights was the signing of three bilateral documents during the official visit here of Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi.
The three bilateral documents pertain to the grant of RMB 50 million ($7.1 million, or about P380 million) for the supply of law enforcement-related materials and equipment to the Philippines signed by Defense Undersecretary Ricardo B. Jalad and Ambassador of China to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua, the grant assistance of $1 million for the victims of Typhoon Vinta in 2017 inked by both officials and the exchange of letter for the feasibility study of the Davao River Bridge (Bucana) project formalized by Philippine envoy to China Jose Santiago Sta. Romana and Zhao.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. and Wang witnessed the signing of the documents.
Wang was in the city to meet with the Philippines’s economic and the ”Build, Build, Build” team led by Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III. The Chinese official also joined Locsin in an expanded bilateral meeting.
On Sunday Wang graced the opening of China’s consular office in the locale.
His separate bilateral meetings with Dominguez and Locsin focused on the status of the cooperation agreements and documents that will be executed during the visit of China’s President Xi Jinping next month.
The Department of Finance said the Philippines is expected to sign at least five agreements with China during Xi’s visit. These cover loan and guarantee accords, economic and technical cooperation, support for the feasibility studies on local infrastructure projects and promotion of the cooperation on key Build, Build, Build projects in Mindanao.
State visit ‘on track’
DOMINGUEZ said the agreements slated to be signed during President Xi’s visit are all “on track.”
Following the signing of the documents, Locsin, during his remarks, said the Philippines and China continuously have good and supportive relations.
He said Wang’s visit laid the groundwork for Xi’s state visit, which is seen to chart the direction of further cooperation. During the meetings, Dominguez said both countries took stock of what they have accomplished so far.
“We are pleased with the results of our meeting, and we look forward to the continued development of our bilateral relations to the mutual benefit of our two great peoples,” the finance chief said.
Dominguez recalled that the high-level bilateral meetings in Beijing, China in August were successful after both governments expressed full commitment to the shared goals of implementing the important consensus reached between President Duterte and President Xi.
Dominguez appreciated the Chinese government’s assistance in translating into concrete actions the Philippines-China cooperation in the areas of infrastructure, trade and investment, as well as people-to-people exchanges.
Wang also underscored the importance of economic cooperation in strengthening bilateral relations between both countries, which he said has continued to improve in the first two years of the Duterte administration.
Wang pointed out that Chinese investments in the Philippines went up by “more than 500 percent in the first six months of the year.”
Image credits: Department of Foreign Affairs