LIMA, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Philippine counterpart, Rodrigo Duterte, met here Saturday and pledged to further promote bilateral ties and strive for more cooperation fruits.
Talking on the sidelines of the 2016 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting, Xi praised Duterte's visit to China last month, saying it achieved full improvement of China-Philippines relations, opened a new chapter for bilateral ties and injected positive energy into regional peace and stability.
China and the Philippines, Xi said, should steadily carry forward their relations in the right direction, and commit to friendly cooperation, proper management of their differences and common development, so as to further push forward their good-neighborly friendship and cooperation and benefit the two peoples with more cooperation fruits.
Noting that China and the Philippines are faced with a new situation, the Chinese president called on both sides to boost exchanges at all levels, exchange views on major issues of common concern in a timely manner, and restore bilateral mechanisms in various fields, in order to enhance mutual trust and cooperation.
On maritime issues, Xi urged the two sides to actively mull maritime cooperation and promote positive interaction on the sea, and thus jointly transform the South China Sea issue into an opportunity for bilateral friendly cooperation.
China and the Philippines should also encourage non-governmental groups to participate in cooperation, facilitate the convergence of the two nations' interests through people-to-people exchanges, and strengthen cooperation in such fields as culture, education, health care and youth, Xi said.
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