China News Service, Manila, September 4th. On September 4th local time, Huang Xilian, the Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines, was invited to participate in the Philippine Q radio video interview program with the Philippine Ambassador to China Romana. They discussed China-Philippines relations, anti-epidemic cooperation, and the South China Sea. Questions and other questions were answered. I believe that China-Philippines relations have great potential and the future development of bilateral relations will surely benefit the two peoples.

  In response to the concerns of the Philippine government and the public, Huang Xilian said that in the first half of 2020, China’s newly signed contracts in the Philippines will amount to US$3.7 billion, a year-on-year increase of 26.5%; once China’s vaccine research and development is successful, it is willing to give priority to the needs of the Philippines.

  Regarding China-Philippines relations, Huang Xilian said that this year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Philippines. Facing the future, the two countries are facing challenges such as developing the national economy and improving the well-being of the people. Both sides should coexist peacefully, deepen political mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation, and enhance cultural exchanges. .

Huang Xilian said that in the first half of 2020, China’s newly signed contracts in the Philippines will amount to US$3.7 billion, a year-on-year increase of 26.5%; once China’s vaccine research and development is successful, it is willing to give priority to the needs of the Philippines.

Photo courtesy of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines 

  Regarding China-Philippines economic and trade cooperation, Huang Xilian said that China and the Philippines are natural partners for mutually beneficial cooperation.

The Philippines is the main source of China's imports of agricultural and sideline products such as bananas and coconuts.

During the epidemic, China continued to remain the Philippines' largest trading partner.

China and the Philippines are working together to overcome the challenges posed by the epidemic. The cooperation projects between the two governments have been fully restarted, and the efficiency of the projects under construction has returned to 80-90%.

  Regarding China-Philippines anti-epidemic cooperation, Huang Xilian said that at the most difficult moment of the epidemic in China, the Philippine government and all walks of life provided valuable support and assistance to China, which China will bear in mind.

After the outbreak in the Philippines, in return for the valuable support and assistance provided by the Philippine government and people to China at the beginning of the year, China has been doing its best to provide assistance to the Philippines, providing the Philippines with a large amount of medical supplies, and assisting the Philippines in sending military aircraft and warships to China to purchase medical services. For materials, a team of anti-epidemic medical experts was sent to help the Philippines fight the epidemic, and to share anti-epidemic experience with the Philippine government and people. 150 sets of transnasal high-flow oxygen therapy devices that the Philippines urgently need will arrive in the Philippines in the near future. The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines The museum provides living and epidemic prevention materials to local people in the form of "friendship packages".

  Regarding vaccine development and cooperation, Huang Xilian said that China has always been a global leader in the development of new coronary pneumonia vaccines.

Among the current eight candidate vaccines that have entered the third phase of the World Health Organization's clinical trials, four are developed by Chinese companies.

Since June this year, China has cooperated with the United Arab Emirates, Brazil and other countries to carry out the third phase of clinical trials, of which 180 of the 30,000 volunteers recruited in the UAE are Filipinos.

President Xi Jinping said in a phone call with President Duterte not long ago that the Philippines is a close friend and friendly neighbor of China. Once China's vaccine development is successful, the Philippines will give priority to the needs of the Philippines.

At present, the embassy is actively implementing the consensus of the leaders of the two countries with relevant Philippine authorities, and Chinese vaccine developers and their Philippine partners are also in close communication with relevant Philippine authorities.

  Regarding the South China Sea issue, Ambassador Huang said that the South China Sea issue is only a small part of China-Philippines relations.

China and the Philippines are close neighbors facing each other across the sea. It is normal to have some differences. The key is how to properly handle the differences.

At the bilateral level, China and the Philippines have established a bilateral consultation mechanism to manage differences through friendly consultations and negotiations.

At the regional level, China and ASEAN countries are actively advancing the "South China Sea Code of Conduct" consultations.

Although the consultation process has been affected by the epidemic, China is closely coordinating with ASEAN countries, including the Philippines, in an effort to resume relevant negotiations as soon as possible.

  Huang Xilian also answered reporters' questions about the US sanctions on Chinese companies and Chinese companies in the Philippines, and expressed China's position.

  Philippine Q Radio mainly covers the Metro Manila area, the capital of the Philippines, and major cities in the Philippines such as Baquelo City, Baguio City, Cebu City and Davao City. In February this year, it ranked 12th among FM radio stations in the Manila area.

This is the first time that Chinese and Philippine ambassadors have jointly hosted a radio program. The program was broadcast to the public in three-dimensional ways such as radio broadcasting and social media video live broadcasting.

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