Your Excellency Ambassador Chito Sta Romana,
Your Honorable Rommel Banlaoi, President of PACS,
Dear friends,
Good Morning!
It gives me great pleasure to attend today’s conference. On behalf of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines, I would like to warmly congratulate the Philippine Association for Chinese Studies (PACS) on its 35th anniversary. Over the past 35 years, the PACS has witnessed the development of China and China-Philippine relations and has been committed to building a bridge of mutual understanding and friendship between China and the Philippines. I would like to express my gratitude to all of you for your hard work and share a few points of views as the following:
First, pursuing harmony and coexistence, China advocates the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind. The pursuit of peace and harmony among all nations is an invaluable trait in the genes of the Chinese culture. The idea of a community with a shared future for mankind, which was proposed by President Xi Jinping, is deeply rooted in the Chinese culture and is consistent with the common values of human civilization. The history of Chinese culture that lasts 5000 years clearly demonstrates that China will always follow a path of peaceful development and will never bully anyone. We stand ready to work with all peace-loving countries in Asia-Pacific to build a big family that embraces openness, inclusiveness, interconnectivity, and win-win cooperation. However, some countries are going against the trend of the times, pushing for a new version of the so-called Indo-Pacific Strategy. They attempt to force countries in the region to contain China and plunge them into geopolitical struggle. China strongly opposes that. I believe that visionary people in all walks of life in the Philippines are able to stay clear-headed and see their true intentions.
Second, in pursuit of win-win cooperation and mutual beneficiary, China is promoting the Global Development Initiative (GDI). China has always advocated mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation. At present, global economic recovery is unbalanced, and people of all countries are eager to get back on the right track of sustainable development. Against this backdrop, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Development Initiative, calling on the international community to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This initiative prioritizes development and puts people at the center. It adheres to true multilateralism, upholds the spirit of open and inclusive partnership, and does not advocate any form of “small circles”. It is another major public good provided by China to the international community. China welcomes the Philippines to participate in GDI, and is willing to synergize development plans with the Philippines and other developing countries so that our friendship can be enhanced through common development, bringing real benefit to our peoples.
Third, believing that a good neighbor is a blessing, China will pursue a policy to foster an amicable, secure and prosperous neighborhood. As a Chinese saying goes, close neighbors are better than distant relatives. The friendly relations between China and the Philippines have persisted for thousands of years. What China has brought to the Philippines was not colonization or war, but cooperation and friendship. In recent years, under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Duterte, China-Philippine relations have picked up a new momentum. China-Philippines friendship has proven to be fully in line with the fundamental interests of the Philippines and its people, the common interests of our two countries, and the trend of peace and development in the region. The good momentum in our bilateral relations is hard-won and worth cherishing by both sides. I firmly believe that committing to China-Philippines friendship will bring continuous benefits to our two peoples.
Fourth, in the spirit of mutual understanding, China will address differences through friendly consultation with the Philippines. It is normal for China and the Philippines to have differences as neighbors, what matters is how we handle them properly. The South China Sea issue should be a stepping stone, not a roadblock, to the development of China-Philippines relations. As State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, China will absolutely not bully smaller countries, and we never believed in the winner-takes-all philosophy. We are willing to work with the Philippines in a spirit of mutual respect, goodwill and pragmatism to find ways to manage and resolve the issue. Former Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Madam Fu Yin also pointed out that, when the two sides are able to properly handle and manage their differences, the road of cooperation between China and the Philippines will be widened; but when disputes become prominent or even get out of control, our relations will suffer. Therefore, we should put the issue in a proper place and not let it affect or even kidnap our overall bilateral relations. It depends entirely on our own choice whether the South China Sea is a challenge or an opportunity, a trouble or a blessing. I believe that as long as we earnestly implement the consensus reached by the our leaders, regional peace and stability will surely be achieved.
Dear friends,
This year, the Communist Party of China will hold its 20th National Congress. The Philippines also has important domestic political agenda. Both the Philippines’ development and China-Philippine relations are standing at a new historical starting point. I am willing to work with all of you to stick to the right direction for cooperation, remove obstacles for our friendship, and jointly create a better future for China-Philippines relations !
On this note, I sincerely wish this conference a great success.
Thank you and Mabuhay!