China, Philippines push enhanced trade

China and the Philippines have agreed to restart the joint commission on commerce and trade to increase trade between the two countries, after their ties were jeopardized by an arbitration case over the South China Sea dispute.

"Even though both countries have disagreements on other issues, it doesn't mean they are incapable of building better business ties, especially in the fields of trade and investment," Shen Danyang, spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce, said on Wednesday.

The mechanism is a dialogue that addresses commercial and trade issues between the two countries.