Chinese， Philippine Presidents Meet in Beijing

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte met in Beijing Oct. 20， agreeing that the two countries will properly handle differences and achieve improvement and greater progress in bilateral ties.

China highly values its relationship with the Philippines，and is ready to work with the country to cement political trust and mutually beneficial cooperation， properly handle differences and become good partners， Xi said during talks with Duterte.

He said managing differences in the South China Sea issue through dialogue and consultation is an important foundation for the healthy and steady growth of China-Philippines relations.

Both sides need to draw experiences from the past to open up promising prospects for the bilateral relationship，Xi stressed， calling on both sides to develop friendship and cooperation while properly handling differences.

"China and the Philippines have had foundation for friendship for generations and have no reason for hostility or confrontation. Both sides should spare no efforts to promote neighborly relations，" Xi said.

Duterte said his talks with Xi were historic and helped to improve and develop bilateral ties. He said he believed his visit will benefit the two peoples， and called on the two countries to cooperate in the fields of economy and trade，investment， agriculture， science and technology， manufacturing，infrastructure， disaster prevention and mitigation， tourism， aviation，media， drug control， antiterrorism， marine policing and culture.