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Philippine President Regards China Visit as Positive
Philippine President Joseph Estrada said Wednesday that his China visit has yielded positive results, especially the signing of a joint statement allowing no actions that might complicate or escalate the situation in the South China Sea.
Estrada said, "I personally feel that it is very important and in the best long-term interest of the Philippines to nurture and strengthen bilateral ties with China," said Estrada at a news briefing. He arrived in Beijing Tuesday for a five-day state visit to China.
During Estrada's stay, Chinese President Jiang Zemin held talks with him. Chinese top legislator Li Peng and Premier Zhu Rongji also met with Estrada on separate occasions.
In addition, the two countries signed several documents, including a joint statement on the framework for cooperation in the 21st century, a program for implementing cultural cooperation agreement from 2000 to 2001, and an exchange of notes on the building of a Chinese agricultural center in the Philippines.
"We discussed, among other topics, the South China Sea issue, the two countries agreed not to take actions that might complicate or escalate the situation in the area," he said, noting that no difficulty or barrier is insurmountable. The two sides should continue working toward greater and deeper partnership and cooperation.
"I believe that the discussions on the South China Sea issue highlighted the need to resolve the issue peacefully," he said. Describing the joint statement as "a milestone and historic document", which serves as a blueprint for the future direction of bilateral relations, the Philippine president said that his visit is more successful than he expected.
He said Chinese President Jiang convinced him that China does not pose a threat to the Philippines, noting that "we agreed that it is important for the two countries to build mutual trust and confidence."
Estrada, who previously visited China in 1994, praised China's development, and said that over the past six years, China has undergone tremendous changes. Estrada has been much impressed by these developments of China.
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