Chinese vice premier to visit PH this week

Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang. AFP FILE PHOTO

Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang will pay an official visit to the Philippines from March 16 to 19 upon the invitation of the Duterte government, China’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

In a press briefing, foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said parts of Wang’s visit were meetings with President Rodrigo Duterte and his economic managers.

“During the visit, he will meet with President Duterte, hold talks with the economic management team of the cabinet of the Philippines, address the opening ceremony of the China-ASEAN Year of Tourism and deliver a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the China-Philippines Economic and Trade Forum,” the Hua said.

“We believe Vice Premier Wang Yang’s visit will further enhance mutual trust between China and the Philippines, deepen China-Philippines good neighborliness and friendship, advance practical cooperation between the two countries in various fields and take China-Philippines relations to a new level,” she added.

Hua underscored a “turnaround” in the relations between the two countries despite the South China Sea dispute following Duterte’s visit to Beijing in October last year. Since assuming office, Duterte has forged a “recalibrated” foreign policy that veered away from the Philippines’ longtime treaty ally the United States toward a pivot to China.

“We have seen an upward momentum in the development of China-Philippines relations, as the two countries deepen their political mutual trust, conduct practical cooperation across the board and resume dialogue and cooperation on maritime issues, delivering tangible benefits to the people of both countries and facilitating regional peace and stability,” the spokesperson added.

The Chinese vice premier’s visit comes amid Manila’s diplomatic protest over Chinese survey’s ship’s visit to the mineral-rich Benham Rise for six months last year. The undersea landmass off the east coast of Luzon was declared by the United Nations in 2012 as part of the Philippine continental shelf. IDL

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