Philippines, China hold first official talks in five years
The Philippines and China held its first official talks in five years Thursday, with both sides agreeing “the two countries will properly handle differences and achieve full improvement and greater progress in bilateral ties.”
The official Xinhua News Agency said Xi, calling the countries "neighbors across the sea," said “though their relations have gone through twists and turns, the foundation of the China-Philippines friendship and the willingness to cooperate remain unchanged.”
“China highly values its relations with the Philippines, and is ready to work with the country to cement political trust and mutually beneficial cooperation, properly handle differences and become good partners”, Xi said.
Ties between China and the Philippines were strained after Chinese fishing vessels entered Scarborough Shoal in 2012. China said the area belongs to them, citing historical records. The Philippines filed a complaint before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2013, saying China’s claim, based on the nine-dash is invalid.
This July, the court ruled that China’s claim to practically all of the South China Sea has no legal basis. China has refused to acknowledge the ruling.
In an interview on Wednesday night with Filipino reporters who joined him in the state visit to Beijing, Duterte said he had no plan of bringing up with Xi the possible joint exploration in the disputed South China Sea.
"No. I do not think that would be right," he said when asked if he would propose to Xi the possibility of a joint exploration.
"So at this time, I am not empowered to do that. I cannot give something and I cannot also add what has not been given me," he said.
The Philippines could secure $13.5 billion worth of agreements during President Rodrigo Duterte's four-day state visit to China, Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez said.
In a text message to Daily Manila Shimbun from Beijing, Lopez said the agreements, include government-to-government and "private-to-private."
"13. 5 billion US dollars, including private-to-private," he said, when asked for the estimated amount of agreements to be signed between the two countries.
After the bilateral meeting between Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, the two witnessed the signing of 13 government-to-government deals.
These include the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Production Capacity and Investment Cooperation; Agreement on Economic and Technological Cooperation between the Government of China and the Philippines; MOU on Strengthening Trade, Investment and Economic Cooperation; MOU on Drafting China-Philippines Economic Cooperation Development Plans; Tourism MOU Implementation Plan 2017-2022; MOU on the Lists of Transportation and Infrastructure Cooperation Projects.
Also signed were the MOU on Financing Cooperation between the China’s EXIMBANK (Export-Import Bank of China) and the Department of the Treasury of the Philippines; Agricultural Cooperation Action Plan 2017-2019; Protocol on Cooperation between the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Narcotics Control Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security of China; MOU on the Establishment of a Joint Coastal Guard Committee on Maritime Cooperation; MOU on Supporting Conduct of Feasibility Studies for Major Projects; MOU on News Information Exchange Training and for Other Purposes; and MOU on Cooperation on Animal and Plant Inspection and Quarantine.
On Friday, Duterte will witness the signing of several business agreements between the Filipinos and Chinese businessmen.
Some Chinese business executives from the State Grid Corporation of China, China Railway Construction Corporation, and China CAMC Engineering Co. Ltd. are also expected to call on him. Celerina Monte/DMS
