President hails strong ties with Philippines

President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages with his Philippine counterpart, Rodrigo Duterte, on Tuesday on the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the Philippines, expressing hope to further strengthen the countries' comprehensive strategic cooperation.

Neighbors who enjoy a time-honored friendship, the two countries have seen their ties develop considerably in the past 45 years, Xi said in his message to Duterte.

Especially in recent years, the two countries have deepened political mutual trust, expanded cooperation in various fields and obtained rich outcomes in their cooperation to build the Belt and Road, bringing tangible benefits to their people and contributing to regional stability and development, Xi said.

China and the Philippines are both at a critical stage of their development and share broad prospects for cooperation, Xi emphasized.

Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of bilateral ties and that he hopes to work with Duterte to keep enhancing the two countries' relationship of comprehensive strategic cooperation.

Also, China stands ready to work with the Philippines to overcome the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Xi said.

In his congratulatory message to Xi, Duterte said it is vital for the two countries to further strengthen their partnership at a time when global security and stability are challenged and nontraditional security threats such as the COVID-19 pandemic are becoming more prominent.

The Philippines sees China as a close neighbor and important partner, and hopes to continue to deepen bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperation, Duterte said.

China and the Philippines established diplomatic ties on June 9, 1975.