Ball is in Aquino's court

In an apparent attempt to show goodwill, Philippine President Benigno Aquino is to visit his ancestors' hometown in East China's Fujian province today. This is the last leg of his first state visit to China, which started on Aug 30.

By all accounts, Aquino's visit has been fruitful, as leaders on both sides have hailed it as a milestone in the development of Sino-Philippine relations.

The fact that more than 200 businesspeople make up his 300-strong delegation underscores Aquino's aspiration to shore up stronger bilateral trade ties. In this regard, he should be pleased to see that the two countries signed nine cooperation agreements, including a five-year plan on bilateral economic and trade cooperation and agreements between tourism, sports and media agencies.