Manila keen to hold formal talks on cooperation with China
The Philippines’ former president says his country is keen to hold formal talks on cooperation with China amid tensions in the South China Sea.
Fidel Ramos made the remarks on Friday during his trip to Hong Kong, where he met with China’s former Deputy Foreign Minister Fu Ying.
"Informal discussions focused on the need to engage in further talks to build trust and confidence to reduce tensions to pave the way for overall cooperation," Ramos and Fu said in a joint statement after the meeting.
Beijing welcomes the visit by Ramos, the statement added, as the special envoy of the recently-elected Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who is keen on maintaining good relations with China unlike the former president, Benigno Aquino.
"It's not really a breakthrough in a sense that there is no ice here in Hong Kong to break but the fish we eat... are cooked in delicious recipes," said Ramos, who had earlier referred to his trip as a fishing expedition.
The joint statement, however, did not mention the South China Sea or a ruling by an arbitration court in The Hague over the maritime row between the two countries.
Meanwhile, China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Beijing hopes that "this type of exchange can assist China and the Philippines in returning to dialogue and improving relations."
China’s territorial claims over the South China Sea overlap in parts with Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.
The tensions between Manila and Beijing flared after the tribunal in The Hague ruled that China has no historic rights in the waterway and sided with the Philippines, which had filed the complaint. China has rejected the ruling.
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