MANILA, Philippines ? The Philippines and China signed two agreements yesterday to boost bilateral ties and improve consular relations, despite disagreements on issues such as the disputed Spratly islands.

One agreement outlines areas in which the two countries intend to work more closely together over the next five years, such as politics, trade, investment, finance, agriculture, food safety, defense and sustainable development.

The agreements were signed by Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo and visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in the presence of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The two agreements?the Philippines-China Joint Action Plan for Strategic Cooperation (JAP) and the Philippines-China Consular Agreement?were initiated by Ms Arroyo and Chinese President Hu Jintao when the latter visited the Philippines in 2005.

The JAP maps out the general strategic direction of bilateral cooperation in the next five years. The areas of cooperation range from trade and investment to law enforcement and judicial matters.

?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 strategic cooperation 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 Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Long-standing concerns

?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 arrest and detention of Filipino nationals, repatriation and settlement of disputes,? the DFA said.

Despite growing economic ties, relations between the Philippines and China have been marred by conflicting territorial claims over such areas as the Spratly group of islands in the South China Sea.

Chinese officials have said a Philippine law passed last year that spelled out the Philippines? claim to parts of the Spratlys had harmed bilateral relations.

Yang and Romulo also discussed activities to mark the 35th anniversary of Philippine-Chinese diplomatic ties in 2010.

Prior Palace visitors

Yang called on Ms Arroyo in Malacañang, during which he recounted how he and his wife had stayed overnight at the Palace in 1978 when they were young foreign service officers acting as interpreters for Chinese Vice Premier Li Xiannian who was visiting Manila at the time.

After the conclusion of the formal talks, the President personally took Yang on a tour Malacañang. The Chinese official later visited Fort Santiago in Intramuros.

On Yang?s arrival Wednesday night, Romulo hosted a dinner in his honor at the Palace. The guests included Vice President Noli de Castro, Chinese Ambassador Liu Jianchao, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Philippine Ambassador to China Sonia Cataumber-Brady, and Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, among others.

Yang, 59, was China?s ambassador to the United States from 2001 up to 2005, when he was appointed vice minister of foreign affairs. He was named foreign minister in 2007. With an Agence France-Presse report