Premier Li Keqiang met with Aquilino Pimentel III, president of the Philippines Senate, on the sidelines of a series of leaders’ meetings on East Asia cooperation in the Philippines’ capital, Manila.

During the meeting on Nov 15, Premier Li said relations between China and the Philippines have been long-established. And since the turnaround in bilateral ties in the last year, the momentum for improvement and development has continued to grow, and bilateral cooperation on all fronts has been promoted.

He said this visit will help consolidate and expand the good trend with the Philippines, recover their lost time and opportunities, and start new chapters in cooperation for the two sides based on mutual respect and equal treatment.

Premier Li spoke highly of frequent exchanges at all levels, which indicated the cherished friendship between the two peoples.

And he encouraged the two countries to further promote joint participation in building a long-lasting bilateral relationship, in an effort to lay a solid foundation for increasing cooperation through advancing mutual trust.

Pimentel extended his best wishes for Premier Li’s visit and said the Philippines attached great importance to the Sino-Philippines relationship.

He appreciated China’s support on the Philippines’ economic and social development, which will push improvements in people’s lives.

And he also stressed that the Philippines is willing to strengthen bilateral exchanges between legislative institutions and political parties, in order to push forward the bilateral relationship to the next level.