Chinese FM: No Fundamental Conflict with Philippine
Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan told his Philippine counterpart Domingo Siazon in Singapore Sunday that there exists no fundamental conflict of interests between the two countries despite some setbacks in bilateral ties.
Meeting the Philippine foreign minister in Singapore, Tang said the Chinese government pursues a consistent policy of maintaining friendly ties with the Philippines.
As China and the Philippines are both developing countries and also close neighbors, the development of a good-neighborly and cooperative relationship of mutual trust conforms to the common interests of the two countries, Tang said.
Tang reaffirmed China's principled stand on the question of the South China Sea.
He said both sides should always keep calm and adhere to the consensus and understandings reached between the leaders of the two countries, and persist in resolving their differences through peace negotiations.
Tang expressed astonishment and displeasure at the incident whereby the Philippine side once again resorted to the use of force against fishermen from China who had been carrying out normal fishing activities in traditional fishing ground and who did not have even a piece of iron to defend themselves.
He called on the Philippine government to handle the incident seriously and to take effective measures to ensure that such incidents do not reoccur.
Siazon said that the overall development of bilateral relations remains good. He expressed the hope that the two countries will enhance their cooperation in various fields, especially in agriculture.
The Philippine government will continue adhering to the "one China" policy, he said.
Siazon expressed deep regret over the ramming of the Chinese fishing vessels for the second time in the recent period, saying the Philippine side will make efforts to avoid recurrence of such incidents. (Xinhua)
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