A reception was held in Manila Monday evening to mark the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Philippines.

Present at the reception, hosted by the Chinese embassy, were Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo, former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos, diplomats, Filipinos with Chinese origin and representatives of Chinese enterprises investing in the country.

Addressing the reception, Chinese ambassador to the Philippines Liu Jianchao said that over the past 35 years, constructive and productive meetings on a regular basis between top leaders of the two countries have been indispensable in advancing bilateral ties with sustaining strength.

"I strongly believe," he said, "The essence of China- Philippines should be rooted in our peoples, in the studies we share, the business we do, the knowledge we gain, and even the sports we play."

"Our purpose has always been making friends and partners with the Philippines and all the other countries in the region, fostering an amicable, stable and prosperous neighborhood, and building cooperation for mutual benefit and win-win progress," he added.

"As we are expecting the Philippine top leadership to be proclaimed, we know that China-Philippines relations are facing a new historical opportunity. The common interests between China and the Philippines are large, so is the scope of China-Philippines cooperation. The Chinese side looks forward to working with the incoming Philippine administration to ensure that China- Philippines strategic and cooperative relationship gets off to a good start and continues to forge ahead," he said.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Romulo said that the theme for this year's anniversary is "Philippines plus China, more than friends". This theme highlights three distinct features of bilateral relationship: the deep ties of friendship between the two peoples; the multifaceted and expanding bilateral relations; and the role of youth in this relationship.

"We are proud that many prominent Filipinos are of Chinese ancestry. Foremost among them, of course, is our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, our first woman President Corazon C. Aquino, and our first Filipino saint, Lorenzo Ruiz," he said.

Aside from these prominent Filipinos, members of the Chinese- Filipino community have made and continue to make significant contributions to Philippine society, he added.

China and the Philippines established diplomatic relations on June 9, 1975.