Duterte vows bilateral ties with ‘ brotherly’ China at APEC

Chinese President Xi Jinping met his Philippine counterpart, Rodrigo Duterte, on Saturday as both sides pledged to improve bilateral ties and strive for more cooperation.

Talking on the sidelines of the 2016 Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation ( APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting, Xi spoke highly of Duterte’s visit to China in October, saying it fully improved the China- Philippines relations, the Xinhua News Agency reported Sunday.

Xi said that China and the Philippines should steadily push forward their relations in the right direction to further prosper their good- neighborly friendship and cooperation. Duterte also noted that the Philippines is willing to be friends with “brotherly” China forever.

Duterte paid a state visit to China in October, his first official visit to a foreign country outside ASEAN since he took office in June.

Bloomberg then reported that Duterte brought home $ 24 billion in funds and investment pledges from his four- day visit to China. China would provide $ 9 billion in soft loans, including a $ 3 billion credit line from the Bank of China.

At the APEC meeting, Xi urged the two sides to mull maritime cooperation and promote positive interaction on the sea, while Duterte noted that Manila is willing to properly address maritime issues with China through dialogue and consultation.

Liu Xinzhong, deputy head of China Fishery Administration Bureau under the Ministry of Agriculture, paid a visit to the Philippines on November 9.