Premier meets with Philippines president

Premier Li Keqiang met with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on May 15, who was in Beijing to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

Premier Li said that China and the Philippines are friendly neighbors, and the development of bilateral ties is in line with the common interests of both countries and their people, and is important to peace and stability of the region.

Based on integration between development strategies of both sides, China is willing to expand trade, promote cooperation in capacity, infrastructure, finance, agriculture and fishing industry, and enhance people-to-people exchanges and strengthen efforts in poverty alleviation, he said.

The Premier praised the contributions made by ASEAN for the region over the past 50 years since its establishment, saying that China is supportive of its development and key role in the region. “China is ready to make joint efforts with the Philippines, which took up the rotating presidency of the organization this year, in promoting regional cooperation and China-ASEAN relations,” he added.

Duterte said that bilateral ties are striding forward in the right direction, and cooperation between the two countries has achieved fruitful results. His country is willing to learn from China’s experience in economic development, and enhance cooperation in sectors such as infrastructure, agriculture, fishing, food processing, e-commerce, science and technology, small and medium enterprises and tourism.

The Philippines will support the “Made in China 2025” strategy, by expanding capacity cooperation and providing convenience for investment from China, he said.