Xi Jinping Meets with President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines

On April 25, 2019, President Xi Jinping met with President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines at the Great Hall of the People.

Xi Jinping pointed out that China-Philippines relations have achieved the “trilogy” of turnaround, consolidation and elevation over the past three years, and entered a new stage of development. Practice has proven that maintaining good-neighborliness and friendship between China and the Philippines follows the historical trend, conforms to the peoples' expectation, and is the only right option. I held all the talks with you in a candid manner for the sake of the wellbeing of our two countries and the two peoples. I would like to stand together with Mr. President, and continue to bring forward bilateral relations along the right direction from a strategic and long-term perspective. The two sides should adhere to the general direction toward good-neighborliness and friendship, create a grand framework of jointly pursuing common development, give play to the profound wisdom of properly handling differences, and grasp the general trend of global development. The joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the “Build, Build, Build” program put forward by Mr. President are highly compatible, and bilateral cooperation has yielded remarkable results. The Chinese side is willing to deepen the synergy of development strategies with the Philippine side, create highlights of cooperation under the BRI framework, and promote connectivity and development for China and the Philippines as well as for all countries in the region. The two sides should honor their promises, carry forward the spirit of partnership, maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, and strengthen maritime cooperation. The Chinese side will continue to fully support the just cause of the Philippine people in areas such as drug control and anti-terrorism.

Rodrigo Duterte expressed that I came to China for peace and development. I congratulated on the great achievements the People’s Republic of China has made over the past 70 years since its founding. China is a lasting and reliable friend of the Philippines. The Philippine side will uphold an independent foreign policy. I am willing to work with President Xi Jinping to eliminate interference and remain determined to make friendly cooperation prevail in bilateral relations. The Philippine side is full of confidence in jointly building the BRI, and stands ready to make good use of the opportunities brought by the BRI cooperation to achieve national development goals. The Philippine side is willing to properly handle the maritime issues in order not to affect the development of bilateral relations.

After the meeting, the two heads of state jointly witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents.

Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi and He Lifeng attended the meeting.