Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday that a "win-win cooperation" with China would ensure a partnership that will foster peace and prosperity.
In a pre-recorded message aired during the 46th anniversary of Philippines-China diplomatic relations and 20th Filipino-Chinese Friendship Day, Duterte said the online celebration "reminds us of the deep and abiding friendship between the Filipino-Chinese peoples."
"It is a bond that predates by centuries the formal establishment of diplomatic relations 46 years ago," Duterte said.
Duterte thanked the Filipino-Chinese community for being a partner in promoting economic, cultural, and people-to-people exchanges between the Philippines and China.
Former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo stressed the significance of China's role in the region and in the global scene.
"China is involved not only in bilateral dealings but also collectively, such as through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations," she said.
"The continuing friendship between our two peoples enhances the mutually beneficial relations between our two countries, and contributes to the peace and harmony in the Asia-Pacific region," Arroyo said, adding that bilateral ties between the Philippines and China "have reached new heights."
Tan Qingsheng, charge d'affaires of China's embassy in the Philippines, said the China-Philippines friendship is best exemplified during the common fight against COVID-19.
China was the first country to donate test kits, the first and the only country to dispatch an anti-pandemic medical expert team to the Philippines, and also the first country to issue a special permit for the Philippine military aircraft and vessels to land and dock in China for the transportation of medical supplies.
China's Sinovac was the first COVID-19 vaccine to arrive in the Philippines both through government-to-government donation and commercial procurement, and it now tops the list of the most welcomed and trusted vaccines among Filipinos, Tan said.
"The two countries will forge an even closer China-Philippines comprehensive strategic cooperative relationship in the new era, and our friendship would shine even brighter in the tempering of time," he said.
