Malacañang Golf (MALAGO) Clubhouse, Malacañang Park, Manila
April 8, 2022

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte reaffirmed the Philippines’ strong ties with the People’s Republic of China over the last six years in various areas of mutual cooperation and partnership as he spoke with President Xi JinPing in a telephone summit.

Since the start of the Duterte Administration in 2016, both Leaders highlighted that the economic and infrastructure cooperation deepened between the two countries and recognized the significant growth in terms of bilateral trade and economic exchange.

President Duterte and President Xi concurred to further enhance Philippines and China’s two-way trade and investments, as well as to continue supporting the Administration’s flagship project – the Build, Build, Build Program.

Aside from the economic aspect, both Presidents acknowledged the importance of mutual cooperation in the fight against the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, including easy access to all available vaccines which is crucial in reviving regional and global economy.

“The leaders [are] committed to work even more closely to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic and agreed to explore constructive ways to jumpstart interaction and exchanges through mutual recognition of vaccine certificates, streamlining health protocols, and resumption of commercial flights,” said in a statement released by the Office of the President.

Likewise, the Leaders stressed the need to exert all efforts to maintain peace, security, and stability in the West Philippine Sea by ‘exercising restraint, dissipating tensions and working on a mutually agreeable framework for functional cooperation.’ Both President Duterte and President Xi vowed to remain committed to broaden the space for positive engagements even while territorial disputes existed.

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