CHONGQING—Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. as well as Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi acknowledged the great strides achieved in the last 46 years of their countries’ official relations.
On the eve of the diplomatic anniversary of the Philippines and China on June 9, the two top diplomats engaged in bilateral talks at the sidelines of the Special Asean-China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, where they discoursed on a wide range of interests—particularly trade, tourism, development assistance, infrastructure, as well as overall diplomatic and political relations.
China, according to Locsin, has become a key economic partner of the Philippines, becoming the latter’s major trading partner, as well as the third-largest export and tourism market in 2020.
Both also agreed to further intensify vaccine cooperation, China’s participation in the Build, Build, Build Program, and closer engagement within the Asean-China dialogue mechanism currently led by the Philippines as country coordinator.
Amid the pandemic, Locsin thanked China for the timely provision of a steady supply of vaccines, as the Philippines accelerates its inoculation program. Wang gave assurance that China would continue to prioritize the Philippines, despite the tightening global supply.
Locsin also highlighted the important role the Asian superpower will play in the global economic recovery, stating that “there can be no swift recovery without China’s leading economic role, in partnership with countries in Southeast Asia and the rest of the world.”
On the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea issue, both sides welcomed the progress in negotiations on the Code of Conduct in the disputed waters. They reaffirmed the importance of self-restraint and the peaceful resolution of differences within the framework of international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
As the two countries approach half-a-century of partnership, the two ministers looked forward to a further expansion of Philippine-Chinese ties in the context of regional peace and stability.