中菲领导人共促双边合作

Chinese President Xi Jinping has hosted a welcoming ceremony for Philippine President on Thursday.

As part of the event, the two leaders inspected the honor guard outside the Great Hall of the People before sitting down for talks in the presence of delegations from both China and the Philippines.

Xi Jinping is describing Duterte's decision to travel to China as a landmark move which is only going to help improve ties.

"Though our relations have gone through twists and turns, the foundation of China-Philippine friendship, and the willingness to cooperate, remains unchanged. I hope we can follow the wishes of the people from the standpoint of mutually essential and common interests, and use this visit as an opportunity to push China-Philippines relations back on friendly footing and improve the relationship in all aspects."

Xi Jinping has also told Duterte that he believes that managing their differences in the South China Sea can be done through open lines of communication.

He also says the Chinese government stands firmly behind the Philippine government's current fight against drugs, terrorism and crime, saying China would like to conduct cooperation with the Philippines in these areas.

For his part, Rodrigo Duterte is describing the current relationship between his country and China as being in its "spring time."

"If we look at the long history of our interactions, China has been a friend of Philippines. And the roots of our bonds are very deep and not easily separated . even we arrive in Beijing close to winter, this is a spring time of our relationship and we look forward to improve our ties."

Speaking with the media after the session between the two Presidents, Chinese vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin says the two sides have agreed that disputes in the South China Sea are not the sum total of their relations, and that the two want to improve ties in a number of areas, including diplomacy and defense.

He also says both sides also want to improve economic ties.

" China will provide financing support for Philippine infrastructure construction. Chinese President Xi Jinping has revoked the tourism warning for Chinese residents traveling to the Philippines. This should help encourage many more Chinese tourists to travel to the Philippines. And meeting has also seen the resumption of tropical fruit exports from 27 Philippine companies to China, including the export of Mangos."

Duterte's trip to China is his first official visit to a foreign country outside the ASEAN bloc since taking office in June.