Ramos cracks joke on arrival in Hong Kong

FORMER Philippine president Fidel Ramos arrived in Hong Kong on Monday for talks aimed at rekindling ties with China that have been strained by long-held disputes in the South China Sea.

Ramos said that he came to Hong Kong as a special envoy to renew friendship and rekindle ties between China and the Philippines.

When asked where he was going to stay in Hong Kong, Ramos joked that he was staying at the residence of the Philippines’ Consul-General in Hong Kong, Bernardita Catalla, in order to “save money like the Chinese people.”

“We are here as a special envoy of our new president, Rodrigo Duterte, a very good man. We want only to renew our friendship, or as he said in his statement, to rekindle the goodwill, the harmony and the crossed ties of the Philippines and China.” AP