Remarks by Mr. JESUS YABES Undersecretary Department of Foreign Affairs

It is my pleasure to be with all of you tonight to celebrate the 67th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Today, China can take pride in its spectacular success, as throughout the years, China continues to take on an important role in the international arena. Noting China’s robust engagements in many facets of the global economics, politics and culture, I express my fervent hope that China will continue to be a responsible, active and valuable member of the international and regional community.

Even before the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1975, the Philippines and China had already enjoyed cordial relations as neighbors, friends and partners.

Almost a century before Spanish galleons landed in the Philippines, Sultan Pahala of Sulu sailed to China to visit the Yongle Emperor. When the Sultan of Sulu passed away in China, the Emperor honored him with a royal funeral befitting an imperial prince. Today, the grassy mound that serves as the Sultan of Sulu’s final resting place still remains in the Chinese city of Dezhou. It serves as a testament to the deep ties shared by our Filipino and Chinese ancestors.

These fraternal and familial bonds endure. Our nation’s capital, Manila, is home to the world’s oldest and largest Chinatown, and millions of Filipinos trace back their ancestral roots to small coastal villages in Southern China, including our National Hero, Jose Rizal; our first Catholic saint, San Lorenzo Ruiz; and our President Rodrigo R. Duterte.

With this view of the Philippines and China’s shared history, President Duterte is determined to further reinvigorate our bilateral ties based on profound friendship, mutual respect, reciprocity and cooperation. We are confident that the Philippines and China can work together to boost cooperation in many areas where both sides stand to benefit, including trade, investments, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.

Last year, the Philippines welcomed more than one million tourists from China, who enjoyed our beautiful beaches and breathtaking landscapes and sceneries. We also fondly recall the successive and successful high-level visits of our leaders. We remember receiving His Excellency President Xi Jinping when we hosted the APEC Summit last November, as China extended the same warm reception to the Philippines during the APEC Summit in 2014.

As we move forward, these positive developments, along with our century-old ties, are the strong foundations by which we can continue to cultivate good relations, deepen the bond between our peoples, and forge a closer partnership in promotion regional peace and stability. In closing, I wish to make a toast: To the health, happiness, and success of His Excellency, President Xi Jingping, His Excellency Premier Li Keqiang, and the Chinese people as they celebrate the 67th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China; and we hope that Philippines-China relations becomes stronger. For the friendly relations between the Philippines and China, cheers!