Earnest efforts should be made by China and the Philippines to fully implement the consensus reached by the heads of state, enhance mutual trust, remove distractions, and work for new progress in China-Philippine relations, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during the virtual meeting with Teodoro Locsin Jr., Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines on 14 July.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between China and the Philippines, a year of milestone significance for the relationship. China and the Philippines, separated only by waters, are close neighbors with long time friendship. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, bilateral exchanges between the two sides have made important headway. In recent years, in particular, the two countries have deepened political mutual trust, expanded wide-range cooperation and harvested fruitful outcomes in Belt and Road cooperation, bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples and contributing to regional stability and growth.

Confronted with COVID-19, China and the Philippines and their people, have been standing with and supporting each other, which vividly illustrates the brotherly friendship between the two countries. Chinese people will never forget the latter's valuable support when China was hit hard by the pandemic. Likewise, when the Philippine people suffered, China spared no efforts in helping its neighbour, providing batches of urgently needed medical supplies, sharing information and experience, and dispatching medical experts. Believing that mankind is in a community with a shared future, China works closely with the Philippines to support the WHO in playing a leading role in fostering international solidarity against the virus and rallying the efforts to build a global community of health for all.

Recently, President Duterte has reaffirmed that the Philippines will always be a friend of China and will never allow anyone to use the soil of the Philippines for activities against China. Secretary Locsin also reiterated his firm support for China's fight against COVID-19. He twitted "the world got a head start because the Chinese scientific community had a robust disease-monitoring network in place to detect emerging flu strains, and had experienced SARS. Common conclusion: we owe China for COVID containment on continental scale". A friend in need is a friend indeed. Those words are touching and well received by the Chinese people.

"In dealing with maritime issues, we should look forward together, not go back to the past." Wang Yi stressed in the meeting with his Philippine counterpart, reaffirming that the sound momentum of development of the Sino-Philippine relations should be cherished. The two ministers recognized that both sides will continue to manage issues of mutual concern and promote maritime cooperation through dialogue and consultation. China will keep on working with the Philippines and other countries in the region in jointly safeguarding regional peace and stability and making the South China Sea a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation. Meanwhile, both sides will stay alert to the attempts of some outside countries of leveraging the South China Sea issue, stirring up tensions between China and ASEAN countries.

Under the challenging "new normal" brought about by COVID-19, it is imperative for China and the Philippines to further their partnership to deal with non-traditional threats. The two countries will seize new opportunities, and explore new ways to gradually resume necessary flow of people and promote mutually beneficial cooperation. We are fully confident that with concerted efforts in COVID-19 response and economic recovery, the time-honored friendship and mutual trust between the two countries will deepen, the relationship of comprehensive strategic cooperation will flourish. China and the Philippines will embrace a brighter shared future.

The author is an international affairs analyst.