MANILA, Philippines - Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua sees an “opening of window” to improve strained Philippine-China relations following President Aquino’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last month.
Speaking at a Chinese embassy-hosted reception at The Peninsula hotel Thursday, Zhao said he was concerned about the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
“The meeting between the two presidents on the sidelines of APEC was very positive and very significant, so I see an opening of a window or opening of a door of improving our relationship,” he said.
“So let us pray and hope and work together to open the door or the window wider so that we can make that progress in the improvement and development of bilateral relationship.”
He is optimistic about the future relations between the two countries and its people, he added.
Zhao said positive and negative media comments about China and its relations with the Philippines present a picture of how Filipinos feel about the bilateral relationship.
“Your comment and your report about China, particularly about the relations between China and the Philippines, has served a very good platform for me to understand how you think and how you feel about China about the relations between our two countries,” Zhao said.
“I know not all of the comments is positive. Of course some of them are negative but I welcome those positive and negative comments because it has given me a very good picture, comprehensive picture to know how the Filipino people feel about our bilateral relationship. And it also serves as a place of friendship between the two peoples.”
Relations between the two countries have been strained following Chinese incursions in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).
This prompted the Philippines to file a case against China in the United Nations tribunal to challenge China’s expansive and excessive claims.
The two countries had been locked in territorial disputes over islands and reefs in the West Philippine Sea for the past few years.