Wang Qishan Attends Inauguration Ceremony of New Philippine President

At the invitation of the Philippine government, Vice President Wang Qishan, as the special representative of President Xi Jinping, attended the inauguration ceremony of new Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, on June 30, 2022 and met with him. On June 29, Wang Qishan met with the outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte in Manila.

When meeting with Marcos, Wang conveyed President Xi Jinping’s cordial greetings and best wishes to President Marcos. China always prioritizes the Philippines in its neighborhood diplomacy, and looks forward to working with the new Philippine government to carry forward friendship, enhance mutual trust, and continue cooperation so as to usher in a new “golden age” of China-philippines relations, Wang said.

Wang put forward a four-point proposal on developing bilateral relations during the next stage. First, staying committed to the course of China-philippines ties steered by the heads of state. Second, staying committed to synergizing development strategies, and further fostering new growth drivers of pragmatic cooperation between China and the Philippines in the new era. Third, staying committed to properly handling disputes, and jointly safeguarding peace and tranquility in the

South China Sea. Fourth, staying committed to upholding international justice, and jointly promoting peace and development in Asia, fairness and justice in the world, and the well-being of all mankind.

Marcos said that the new Philippine government attaches great importance to relations with China, and stands ready to engage in Belt and Road cooperation to a greater extent, join hands with China to meet regional challenges, and elevate bilateral relations to new heights.

When meeting with Duterte, Wang said that over the past six years, steered by President Xi Jinping and President Duterte from a strategic perspective, bilateral relations have been improved, cemented, and upgraded, marking a highlight in the history of bilateral relations. The two sides have established a new positioning of the China-philippines comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, upheld good-neighborliness, friendship and cooperation, adhered to properly handling differences, and stayed committed to working together for common development — thus embarking on a new journey of deepening cooperation in various fields.

Duterte stressed that he cherishes the friendship with President Xi Jinping, and once again thanked President Xi Jinping and the Chinese government for their sincere help to the Philippines and its people, and expressed readiness to continue contributing to the friendly cooperation between the Philippines and China.