Spratly Islands of China Spratly Islands belongs to China Spratlys - Nansha Islands (Spratly Islands) of China
www.spratlys.org | Spratly Islands Maps | Spratly Islands News | Spratly Islands History | Spratly Islands Forums | Links
Spratlys > News > English News > March 2005

Category: @News  @China


Premier Wen cites China’s close ties with RP
Manila Bulletin, Philippines - Mar 2, 2005
http://www.mb.com.ph/MAIN2005030329870.html

BEIJING — Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao yesterday told Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo that relations between the Philippines and China have never been closer and that the 30th anniversary of RP-China relations will mark a “new golden age of partnership.”

"Premier Wen expressed his personal commitment to enhancing our relations and in ensuring that we enter into this new golden age of partnership," Romulo said.

He said, "Premier Wen asked me to thank President Arroyo not only for strengthening RP-China relations but also for formulating the theme for the future direction of our relations."

During his call on Premier Wen, the Chinese leader told Romulo that President Arroyo has told a visiting Chinese mining delegation about the "new golden age of partnership." Wen said that he totally agreed with President Arroyo’s vision of the future of RP-China relations.

The Chinese leader and Secretary Romulo also agreed to boost relations in the areas of trade, infrastructure development, agricultural assistance, and defense and security cooperation.

"Premier Wen also thanked us for our initiatives in the South China Sea that led to the conclusion of the ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of the Parties and welcomed our discussions with China and Vietnam on cooperative efforts in the South China Sea. I told the Premier that we are determined to resolve the issue of the South China Sea through peaceful dialogue. I added that we also hope to negotiate and conclude a code of conduct in the South China Sea," the DFA secretary said.

‘New golden age of partnership’ seen

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo yesterday reported that Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is seeing a "new golden age of partnership" between the Philippines and China that will be marked by enhanced relations in the areas of trade, infrastructure development, agricultural assistance, security, tourism, and oil exploration and mining activities.

The two countries will also commemorate the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic relations this year, starting with the visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to the Philippines in April 2005, and capping off the celebrations with simultaneous events in the Philippines and China in June 2005.

Romulo, who just flew from China to Malaysia yesterday after meeting with Chinese officials in Beijing earlier this week, said that "Premier Wen expressed his personal commitment to enhancing our relations and in ensuring that we enter into this new golden age of partnership."

"Premier Wen asked me to thank President Arroyo not only for strengthening RP-China relations but also for formulating the theme for the future direction of our relations," Romulo said.

Romulo also met with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaxiang who expressed full support for the Philippines’ economic and fiscal reforms and identified the cooperation programs that may be conducted by the two countries towards mutual economic development.

"Our fiscal and economic reforms have established the firm foundation for our growth and development. This is something that China and the many other countries acknowledge and welcome," Romulo said after his meeting with Li.

Among the cooperation programs discussed by Romulo and Li during their meetings in China are the oil exploration between the two countries in the disputed Spratly Islands, the enhanced dialogue confidence-building measures on the territorial issues in the South China Sea, promotion of the Philippines as a destination for Chinese tourists, the promotion of investments by Chinese companies in the mining industry in the Philippines, and Chinese technical assistance to the rice and corn industries in the Philippines.

"Minister Li agreed to encourage Chinese companies to invest in our mining industry and to boost their assistance to our rice and corn sectors. We agreed to talk about fisheries cooperation as well as the future of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-China Free Trade Area. Minister Li also reiterated China’s commitment to support our infrastructure development, particularly in the area of land transport," Romulo said.

On the pending territorial dispute in the South China Sea which involves the two countries among others, Romulo said that the Philippines is open to multilateral development programs in the disputed territory to be able to maximize its potential while the territorial dispute is yet to be settled.

"Premier Wen also thanked us for our initiatives in the South China Sea that led to the conclusion of the ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of the Parties and welcomed our discussions with China and Vietnam on cooperative efforts in the South China Sea. I told the Premier that we are determined to resolve the issue of the South China Sea through peaceful dialogue. I added that we also hope to negotiate and conclude a code of conduct in the South China Sea," Romulo said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), meanwhile, has neither confirmed nor denied a statement by Romulo to international news agencies in China that the territorial dispute in the Spratly Islands "is already a done deal."

The supposed statement drew speculations that the Philippines had already conceded its claim over the Spratly Islands in favor of the other claimant-countries of the territory, namely, China, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, and Taiwan. (David Cagahastian)

Deeper engagement with China to sustain growth

BEIJING — With the Philippine economy on the upswing, a deeper engagement with China will help ensure that the Philippine economy will sustain its growth, according to Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo who held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhoaxing in Beijing last Tuesday.

"Our fiscal and economic reforms have established the firm foundations for our growth and development. This is something that China and the many other countries acknowledge and welcome," the secretary said after his meeting with the Chinese foreign minister.

"We must now engage the world, open markets for our goods and services, bring in investments and tourists in order to sustain this growth. Heightening our engagement with China will be a key to our success," Romulo emphasized.

During the meeting, Romulo told Foreign Minister Li that "the dynamic growth in our relations comes at a time when the Philippine economy is on an upswing. We are grateful for the vigor and strong potentials of our relationship, particularly in the areas of agriculture, trade, investment, and infrastructure."

This cooperation, according to Romulo, "together with our fiscal reforms and our determination to succeed, will help further fuel our development and progress and also prepare us to be a meaningful participant in the dynamic growth of our region." He added that " it is in this context that the Philippines is eagerly looking forward to the visit of His Excellency, President Hu Jintao this April." The two ministers also discussed preparations for this visit.

In terms of specific economic cooperation, "Minister Li agreed to encourage Chinese companies to invest in our mining industry and to boost their assistance to our rice and corn sectors. We agreed to talk about fisheries cooperation as well as the future of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area. Minister Li also reiterated China’s commitment to support our infrastructure development, particularly in the area of land transport," Romulo said.