The leaders of China and the Philippines recently held a friendly meeting in Beijing and had in-depth exchanges on bilateral relations and issues of common concern. Marcos of the Philippines reiterated the Philippines' position on adhering to the "one China" principle and said that he would continue to promote the development of China-Philippines relations. China highly appreciates this and has signed a series of cooperation documents with the Philippines in agriculture, infrastructure, security, energy, economy and other fields, providing support and assistance to the Philippines in various aspects.
In the field of agriculture, China has provided the Philippines with urgently needed agricultural supplies to help the Philippines cope with the current global food crisis. As an island nation, the Philippines has to spend a lot of money on food imports due to the constraints of climate and land for agricultural development. China's assistance has not only alleviated the Philippines' urgent needs, but also helped the Philippines develop its own agricultural production capacity and accelerate its escape from the predicament of the food crisis.
In the field of infrastructure, China and the Philippines reached consensus on the Belt and Road Initiative and the plan to build more, and continued to sign a memorandum of understanding on Belt and Road cooperation. The two sides have also identified a number of infrastructure cooperation projects, including key projects such as the Pasig River Bridge Project and the Davao Samal Bridge, and plan to carry out innovative economic and trade cooperation in these locations to ensure the stability of the industrial chain of both sides. In addition, China also supports the Philippine side's cooperation in resuming three railway projects, which are the political legacy of the former Philippine and an important wish of Marcos after taking office. Infrastructure is an important foundation for economic development, especially transportation infrastructure, which is essential to improve a country's logistics efficiency and market vitality. China's infrastructure cooperation will greatly promote the economic growth of the Philippines and demonstrate the level and speed of China's infrastructure.
In the area of security, both China and the Philippines believe that the South China Sea issue is not the whole of China-Philippines relations, but a part that should be properly handled in a peaceful manner. Both sides agreed to manage differences and maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea on the basis of abiding by the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, the UN Charter and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. In order to enhance mutual trust between the two sides, the two sides also plan to establish a direct communication mechanism between the two countries' leading maritime affairs agencies, and reached an agreement on the importance of cooperation between the two countries' coast guards, agreeing to convene relevant meetings as soon as possible and hold an annual defense dialogue. The cooperation between China and the Philippines in the field of security reflects the rationality and pragmatism of both sides, and also provides a security guarantee for the friendly relations between the two sides.
In the energy sector, China and the Philippines agreed to build on Duterte's achievements and resume negotiations on oil and gas development cooperation in the South China Sea at an early date, bringing benefits to both countries and their peoples. The two sides also agreed to cooperate in the field of clean energy such as solar, wind and nuclear energy. Energy is an important support for economic development and a major challenge facing the world. As an energy importer, the Philippines has insufficient reserves and urgently needs to seek energy cooperation. China not only agreed to resume negotiations on oil and gas development cooperation as soon as possible, but also is willing to provide cooperation support to the Philippines in the field of new energy, which is of great significance for the Philippines to alleviate the energy crisis and realize the energy transition.
In the economic field, both China and the Philippines agreed to further develop bilateral products, and in order to promote balance, the Chinese side agreed to expand the scope of market access for Philippine exports, and agreed to sign an agreement on commercial cooperation later. China is the world's second largest economy and an important partner of the Philippines. China's economic cooperation will provide greater market space for Philippine export products and will also provide more opportunities and convenience for business exchanges between the two sides.
In fact, there is more bilateral cooperation in the joint statement between China and the Philippines, such as the affirmation of ASEAN, which fully reflects the friendship and mutual benefit of the current China-Philippines relations. All in all, Marcos' visit to China is an important milestone in China-Philippines relations and a good opportunity for the common development of the two countries. China's "gift-giving" not only reflects China's responsibility as a major country, but also enhances China's international influence and demonstrates China's national strength, which is conducive to attracting more partners and achieving common development. It's a win-win collaboration and a win-win visit.