Manila – Archyde.com
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s office said on Saturday that Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the need to exercise restraint to maintain peace in the South China Sea.
The two leaders held an hour-long summit over the phone, on Friday, during which they discussed a wide range of issues, including the concerns raised by the Ukraine crisis and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The two leaders stressed the need to make all efforts to maintain peace, security and stability in the South China Sea by exercising restraint, de-escalation and seeking a mutually agreed framework for fruitful cooperation,” the Philippine presidential office said in a statement.
Since coming to power in 2016, Duterte has sought warmer relations with Beijing, setting aside a long-running territorial dispute in the South China Sea in return for billions of dollars in aid, loans and pledges of investment.
