Still unexplained
The hunt for the origins of Covid-19 has for the past four years been a tangled web of politics, power struggles, and international finger-pointing.
China will take the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties as a new starting point to further enhance political mutual trust and deepen comprehensive cooperation with the Philippines, according to the Foreign Ministry spokesperson has said.
On Tuesday, it marked the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the Philippines.
During a press briefing, spokesperson Hua Chunying said that China-Philippines relations have been moving forward steadily thanks to the joint efforts of successive leaders and peoples on both sides.
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Hua also noted that the two countries’ bilateral relationship has steadily progressed since they established diplomatic ties, especially in recent years under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
Hua said that the statements represent objective voices in the world and stand for justice.
China is grateful that the Philippine government and people sent medical supplies when the coronavirus outbreak started in China.
At the early stage of the outbreak in the Philippines, China also sent medical experts and donated a large number of medical supplies including a total of 254,000 test kits, 130 ventilators, and 1,870,000 surgical masks, Huang noted.
China and countries from the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), including the Philippines, are speeding up negotiations on the South China Sea Code of Conduct, he said.
On March 17, Duterte ordered strict quarantine measures for the entire island of Luzon – the biggest and most populous in the country with 57 million inhabitants, including the capital Manila.
The Philippine economy contracted 0.2 per cent in the first quarter of 2020 amid the strict lockdown measures, making it the first drop since 1998, while 2 million Filipinos have so far lost their jobs.
(With inputs from agency)
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