The President of the Philippines, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., and Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilin attended the 50th anniversary celebration of diplomatic relations between China and the Philippines held in Manila on June 7.
At the event site, the Jones Bridge and the South Boulevard Bridge, which were funded by the Chinese side, were brightly lit with spectacular fireworks, creating a lively atmosphere. Both Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Huang Xilin addressed the Filipino-Chinese community during the event, expressing their expectations for improving bilateral relations.
President Marcos said: "This evening's event holds profound significance. This project commemorates 50 years of friendship and shared history between the Republic of the Philippines and the People's Republic of China — half a century of friendship condensed within the world's oldest Chinatown."
Ambassador Huang noted: "The inspiration for the Pasig River lighting project comes from Beijing's Liangma River landscape beautification project. This project illustrates how we can learn from each other and benefit our two peoples."
Huang emphasized that as the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations approaches, both sides are expected to revisit the original intentions of establishing diplomatic ties, follow public sentiment, seek cooperation over confrontation, dialogue over conflict, and steer bilateral relations back onto the track of healthy and stable development at an early date.
In the May 10 election, before the election, Marcos Jr. stated that the Philippine people would "never give way" in defending the country's territorial sovereignty in the South China Sea.
In April, China's Foreign Ministry stated that China's actions in the relevant maritime areas were "reasonable, legal, and beyond reproach."
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1834349835168832/
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