Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo Friday praised the momentum of development in relations between the Philippines and China as well as those between Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China, while expecting the momentum of such development of relations to continue.

In a keynote address to an international conference on Philippine-China relations with the theme of "Charting New Directions in a Changing Global Environment" being held Friday and Saturday, Romulo said that through nearly two decades of economic growth, China has become a source of regional investment.

"China invests in Indonesia's natural gas, in Malaysia's palm oil, in Philippine infrastructure and in Singapore's services sector. It also supports the building of a network of rail, highway and navigation links in the Mekong Delta. It has committed to support infrastructure-building in the BIMP-EAGA (Brunei- Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines Early Growth Area) region," said Romulo.

On Philippine-Chinese relations, Romulo said Philippines' ties with China, while existing within this regional milieu, is also " one emanating from a deep and abiding people-to-people agenda".

"It is a relationship between two Asian nations with common goals of development, complementing strengths and the shared desire to realize secure and prosperous societies for our nations, " he said. "Our relationship also contributes to the dynamics of change in Asia."

Romulo said the future of bilateral relations will be shaped by "the momentum of our current cooperation in trade, agriculture, mineral resources and infrastructure".

He said growing trade between the two countries, the fastest between China and an ASEAN member, will continue to be a defining element of Philippines-China relations in the years to come, and so will partnerships in resource and infrastructure development.

"The South China Sea is vital to the security and maritime interests of both the Philippines and China, and ASEAN and the Asia Pacific," he said. "We took a landmark step early this year when we agreed to undertake together with Vietnam a joint seismic study in the South China Sea."

"Our ongoing collective efforts to implement the ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea helps provide the conditions and the norms that will lead to a comprehensive, permanent and peaceful settlement of the South China Sea issue," he added.

Source: Xinhua