JOINT STATEMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA FOLLOWING THE STATE VISIT TO THE PHILIPPINES OF H.E. CHINESE PRESIDENT HU JINTAO

At the invitation of Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Republic of the Philippines and on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of the Philippines, President Hu Jintao of the People’s Republic of China paid a state visit to the Philippines between 26-28 April 2005.

During their meeting, President Arroyo and President Hu Jintao had an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of shared interest in a cordial and friendly atmosphere.

The two leaders expressed their satisfaction with the remarkable progress made in the cooperation in the political, economic, trade, cultural, scientific, educational, defense, transnational crimes, agriculture, and other fields over the past 30 years since China and the Philippines established diplomatic relations. They acknowledged the important contributions of individuals from all circles in the two countries who have made long-term commitments to the promotion of China-Philippines relations.

The two sides affirmed the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, the purposes and principles of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia and other universally recognized norms of international law as the principles guiding their relations.

The two sides stressed that Philippines-China relations have reached the golden age of partnership and that the continuous expansion and comprehensive development of friendly relations between the two countries not only serves the fundamental interests of the two sides but also contributes to peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

The two leaders recalled the principles enshrined in the Joint Communiqué of the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations signed in 1975 and reiterated that while continuing to act in the spirit of the Joint Statement on the Framework of Bilateral Cooperation in the 21st Century signed between the two sides on 14 May 2000, under the framework of China-ASEAN strategic partnership geared to peace and prosperity, the two sides stand ready to work vigorously for the establishment of a strategic and cooperative relationship for peace and development between China and the Philippines. They agreed as follows:

• Maintain frequent high-level contacts and exchanges. Leaders of the two countries will promptly exchange views and coordinate positions on bilateral relations as well as major international and regional issues of shared interest through exchange of visits, correspondence, meetings on multilateral occasions and other means.

• Vigorously promote economic cooperation and trade. The two sides should give full play to the existing economic cooperation and trade mechanisms, tap into their economic complementarity and potential for cooperation, broaden and diversify trade structure, further expand trade and investment and make efforts to raise bilateral trade to over USD 30 billion within the next 5 years.

• Further deepen cooperation in agriculture. The Philippines and China will intensify cooperation in agriculture. The two sides are ready to work together to optimize role of the China-Philippines Agricultural Technology Center and push forward bilateral cooperation in such areas as quality hybrid seeds, agricultural infrastructure development and agricultural machinery. They will continue discussions on fishery cooperation in the spirit of the Memorandum of Understanding on Fisheries Cooperation, and to address illegal fishing in a friendly and cooperative manner.

• Enhance infrastructure cooperation. Stressing that infrastructure development is a priority in economic cooperation and trade between China and the Philippines, the two sides maintained that their effective cooperation on the North Rail project has become a new symbol of China-Philippine friendship and cooperation. The Chinese side stated that it will continue to support infrastructure projects in the Philippines such as the North Rail and the South Rail projects. The two sides established a mechanism to discuss, coordinate and facilitate partnerships between their companies in the infrastructure sector.

• Expand cooperation in mineral resource development. The two sides will vigorously expand cooperation in mineral resource development on a mutually-beneficial and win-win basis and to transform this sector as a new pillar of Philippines-China cooperation. Their relevant departments will activate consultation and coordinative mechanisms for bilateral cooperation in mining.

• Increase personnel exchanges. The two sides agreed to jointly put forward friendly exchanges and cooperation between governments, parliaments, political parties and non-governmental organizations of the two countries, promote youth exchanges and deepen tourism cooperation.

• Strengthen linkages between southern China provinces and northern Luzon.  Both sides acknowledged the gradual development of economic and trade ties, including people-to-people exchanges and air services, between China and the northern part of Luzon, the Philippines on the basis of complementing economic structure, geographic advantages and market forces.  They agreed to promote port and air linkages and support exchanges between business and people.  The Philippines welcomed the opening of a new Chinese Consulate in Laoag as a positive step towards this direction.

• Promote defense and security cooperation. The two sides welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation and the launching of the defense and security consultation mechanism between the two Defense Departments and announced that the first defense and security consultations will be held in May this year. The two sides also expressed their willingness to strengthen cooperation in non-traditional security areas such as combating drugs and transnational crimes.

• The two sides committed themselves to mutual understanding and mutual support with respect to major issues bearing on state sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Philippines reaffirmed its adherence to the one China policy and understanding of the Chinese government’s efforts for national reunification. The Philippines supports and appreciates China’s efforts to resolve the Taiwan issue peacefully.

• The two sides agreed to continue efforts to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and work with other ASEAN countries to actively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. The two sides agreed that the collaboration between China and the Philippines in pioneering the joint development in the South China Sea had given a boost to China-Philippines relations and made historic contributions to pragmatic cooperation among relevant countries in the South China Sea and to peace, stability and prosperity in the region. The two sides welcomed the signing of the Tripartite Agreement for Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking in the Agreement Area in the South China Sea by China National Offshore Oil Corporation, Vietnam Oil and Gas Company and Philippines National Oil Corporation as a historic step towards the transformation of the South China Sea into a sea of friendship and cooperation.

• The two sides highly commended the remarkable progress achieved in China-ASEAN relations in recent years. They agreed that the sound relationship had become an important pillar for the promotion of peace, stability and prosperity in the region. The two sides reaffirmed their commitments to the China-ASEAN strategic partnership for peace and prosperity, the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area and the process of East Asian cooperation. The Chinese side reaffirmed its support to the ASEAN integration process and ASEAN’s leading role in regional cooperation and its active participation in the development of East ASEAN Growth Area. The Philippines expressed appreciation for China’s commitment to support the development of the BIMP-EAGA and support for China’s request for observer status in the BIMP-EAGA process.   Both sides welcomed the participation of the Philippines in the ASEAN Early Harvest Program.

• The two sides agreed to further strengthen their coordination and cooperation in the UN, ARF, APEC, ASEM, WTO and other multilateral organizations.

• The two sides agreed that peace and development were the themes of the present-day world. The international community should respect the diversity of the world, promote fairness and balance in international relations and bring into full play the leading role of the UN in major international affairs. The two sides expressed their support for necessary and rational reform aimed at enhancing the role of the UN.  They agreed that  UN reform should focus on addressing the development issue and uphold the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries and enhance the voice and representation of developing countries in international affairs.

• The two sides expressed their willingness to strengthen cooperation in international organizations and promote the balanced development of economic globalization on the basis of equality so as to ensure that developing countries will fully benefit from the globalization process.

• The two sides reaffirmed their opposition to terrorism of all forms affirmed the need for international collaboration in response to the threat of terrorism.

President Hu Jintao also met with senior Philippine officials including Senate President Franklin M. Drilon and Speaker Jose C.  De Venecia, Jr. of the House of Representatives and addressed a joint session of the Philippine Congress.

The Chinese side expressed its thanks for the hospitality accorded to President Hu Jintao during his visit to the Philippines. President Hu Jintao invited Philippine leaders to visit China at their convenience, and the Philippine leaders accepted with pleasure.

Manila, 28 April 2005