Home 
MANILA, Philippines?The Philippines and China signed two agreements on Thursday to boost bilateral ties and improve consular relations, officials said, despite disagreements on issues such as the disputed Spratly Islands.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi oversaw the signing of the agreements, Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo said.
One agreement outlines areas in which the two countries intend to work more closely over the next five years, such as politics, trade, investment, finance, agriculture, food safety, defense and sustainable development.
"China is a strategic partner and we are looking forward, under the strategic cooperation plan, to have more activities between the two countries," Romulo said, but no specific details about the agreement were released.
The consular agreement is aimed at protecting Filipino workers in China and is the first such deal the Philippines has negotiated with another country, the Philippine foreign department said.
"The agreement addresses long-standing concerns of the Philippine Embassy and Consulates General in China with regard to the provision of assistance to nationals... such as notification of arrests and detention of Filipino nationals, repatriation and settlement of disputes," the department said.
Despite growing economic ties, relations between the Philippines and China have been marred by conflicting territorial claims over such areas as the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.
Chinese officials have said a Philippine law passed last year that spelt out Manila's claims to parts of the Spratly Islands had harmed bilateral relations.
