Chinese VP meets Philippine foreign secretary

BEIJING - Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan met with Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano in Beijing on Friday, calling for enhanced high-level exchanges and pragmatic cooperation.

Wang said the annual sessions of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) this year have elected a new state leadership and leadership of the CPPCC National Committee. "We will strive for the realization of the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era," said Wang.

The Philippines is a traditional friendly neighbor of China, Wang said.

With the guidance of the heads of state of the two countries, the relationship between China and the Philippines has consolidated and deepened, he added.

In the new year, the two sides should continue to work together and plan their relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective, so as to fully implement the consensus between the heads of state of the two countries, said Wang.

He hoped that China and the Philippines would properly deal with their differences and increase the friendship between the two peoples, building a closer China-ASEAN community of shared future.

Cayetano expressed his congratulations on the convening of the annual two sessions, saying the Philippines is willing to work with China to promote development of Philippine-Chinese relations.