Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says no "foreign force" can stand in the way of progress in the long-neglected relationship between China and the Philippines.
Speaking in Beijing on Tuesday, Wang praised Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte for working to improve ties and for returning to "the track of dialogue and cooperation."
Wang said:
"This reflects the wish of the Philippine people, and is in line with the Philippines' national interest. No foreign force can stand in the way of such process".
While Wang gave no details, he was likely referencing the United States as a foreign force that could upset the rapprochement between Manila and Beijing, given the 65-year-old mutual defense treaty between the U.S. and the Philippines.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has told China's official news agency that China is his country's only hope for development.
- Duterte said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency that his visit to China beginning Tuesday points toward a restoration of trust between the sides following recent tensions over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
- He said China is a potent source of capital for much-needed infrastructure development and that the Philippines should leverage its 2 million-strong ethnic Chinese minority as a bridge to encourage Chinese investment.
Duterte said in the interview that his own grandfather was Chinese, and that "It's only China (that) can help us." He said that unlike the U.S. and other Western nations, China has offered its support for his 3-month-old government without criticism.
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