Senators seek better ties with China's party, congress

MANILA, Philippines — An exchange program with Chinese legislators and attendance at gathering of ruling parties in Beijing are just some of the ways that senators will support warmer relations with China.

 

According to a press release from the office of Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, he and other senators met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday night to talk about how to improve relations between the two countries, which Li has said has achieved "positive momentum". 

 

Senate Majority Floor Leader Vicente Sotto III and Senators Juan Miguel Zubiri, Emmanuel Pacquiao and Sherwin Gatchalian were also at the meeting.

 

"Our discussion focused on how we can bring China and the Philippines closer together, not just through normal diplomatic channels, but also channels like party-to-party and parliament-to-parliament," Pimentel said.

 

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Pimentel said in the press release that the administration PDP-Laban party, of which he is president, will attend "talks with the Communist Party of China and ruling parties of other major countries in Beijing this December."

 

PDP-Laban previously signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the CPC in February.

 

"There is so much potential for cooperation between our countries. After all, the Philippines and China have had relations long before there was a People’s Republic of China or a Republic of the Philippines," Pimentel said.

 

Senators have also agreed to "activate the Philippine-China Friendship Association in the Senate and to facilitate an exchange of parliamentarians with the National People’s Congress of China," the release said.

 

"We have to make up for time lost due to misunderstandings and the politics of old. What Premier Li and I want is to establish a long-standing relationship which would be immune to the issues of the day, and built on the friendship of our two nations, and not just our governments," Pimentel said.