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China's National People's Congress Standing Committee and the House of Representatives of the Philippines issued a joint press statement here Saturday. Following is the full text of the statement:
Joint Press Statement of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China and the House of Representatives, Congress of the Republic of the Philippines
Metro Manila, 14 September 2002
1. At the invitation of the Honorable Jose de Venecia, Jr., Speaker of the House of Representatives, Congress of the Republic of the Philippines, His Excellency Li Peng, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China, paid an official good-will visit to the Republic of the Philippines from 12 to 15 September 2002.
2. During his visit, Chairman Li Peng met with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Speaker de Venecia and acting President of the Senate Juan Flavier. The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on China-Philippine relations and parliamentary cooperation, as well as on international and regional issues of common interest, and reached extensive consensus. The two sides signed a number of documents on cooperation, including a "Memorandum of Agreement between the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China and the House of Representatives of the Republic of the Philippines".
3. Chairman Li Peng and Philippine leaders expressed satisfaction with the strong traditional friendship between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of the Philippines. They agreed that the development of a stable and lasting relationship of good neighborliness, mutual trust, mutual benefit and cooperation between China and the Philippines serves not only the fundamental interests of the two countries but also contributes to regional peace, prosperity and development.
4. The two sides agreed to promote further the exchange of visits and mutual contact between leaders of the National People?s Congress of China and parliament of the Philippines and to enhance bilateral parliamentary ties within the cooperative framework of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Association of Asian Parliaments for Peace (AAPP). The Philippine side expressed its appreciation of the achievements of the Third AAPP General Assembly hosted by the Chinese side in Beijing and Chongqing in April 2002, and praised The Chongqing Declaration as a significant document guiding the AAPP's future development. The Chinese side expressed its vigorous support for the Philippines' hosting of the Fourth AAPP General Assembly. It welcomed the vision of a "hundred years of peace" in Asia proposed by the Philippines, and expressed the view that the initiative will not only help to defeat poverty, ignorance, prejudice and injustice, which breed regional terrorism, but also promote peace and prosperity in Asia.
5. Both sides spoke highly of the extensive economic ties and trade that have developed between the two countries in recent years, which have brought many tangible benefits to their two peoples. The Philippine side expressed its appreciation of China's unremitting efforts to balance bilateral trade. It welcomed China's participation in the building of railways, airports, sea-ports and other infrastructure projects in the Philippines, and thanked the Chinese side for its assistance and support of the country's agricultural sector.
The two sides also noted with pleasure that superior strains of rice developed in China are now being cultivated extensively in the Philippines, and that the China-Philippines Agricultural Technique Center, set up with Chinese Government assistance, will soon be completed. Both sides pledged to identify and decide quickly on projects to be financed by the Chinese Government's agricultural loan of US$ 100 million.
The two sides agreed that China's accession to World Trade Organization would generate new opportunities for China-Philippine trade and economic cooperation, and agreed to work together to accelerate negotiation of a China-ASEAN Free Trade Area. The Chinese side affirmed it would continue to encourage capable Chinese enterprises to invest in the Philippines.
Speaker de Venecia also expressed to Chairman Li Peng his personal appreciation of the Chinese Government's continued attention to the welfare of the 140,000 Filipino contract workers in Hong Kong.
6. The Chinese side complimented President Arroyo and the Philippine Government on their achievements in promoting economic growth and maintaining law and order. It expressed its belief that, with the joint efforts of its people from all walks of life, the Philippines would make even greater progress in nation-building.
The Philippine side affirmed that a stable and prosperous China would serve the interests of peace and development in the region and in the world. It reaffirmed its commitment to a one-China policy, by reiterating that there is but one China, of which Taiwan is an inalienable part.
7. The two sides agreed that China and the Philippines have, in recent years, contributed significantly to regional stability by maintaining good communication and coordination on the issue of the South China Sea. They reaffirmed their commitment to a peaceful and amicable settlement of their countries' differences- and those with other countries-on the question. The two sides also pledged their continued endeavor to seek an early acceptance of the proposed Code of Conduct in the South China Sea by China and the ASEAN countries, and expressed their hope that the South China Sea Workshop on Managing Potential Conflicts would build on its achievements so far and move on to develop new modes of cooperation.
8. The two sides pledged their staunch support for the international campaign against terrorism, and praised the collective efforts that both the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and ASEAN have taken in this regard. The Chinese side expressed its understanding and support of the campaign the Philippines is waging against terrorism, and expressed its readiness to modes of cooperation in counter-terrorism and other non-traditional security fields with the Philippines and other ASEAN countries.
9. Both sides agreed that Chairman Li Peng's visit to the Philippines has been a success in every way. Chairman Li Peng expressed his gratitude to the House of Representatives and the Government and people of the Philippines for their warm and unfailing hospitality. He invited Speaker de Venecia to visit China at his convenience-a gracious invitation the Speaker accepted with pleasure.
(Xinhua News Agency September 14, 2002)
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