Chinese President Jiang Zemin has extended congratulations to the
Philippine government and people on the 104th anniversary of the
Southeast Asian country's independence which falls on Wednesday.
In
a message to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Jiang wished the
country "ever growing prosperity" and well-being for its people. He
believed that under the capable leadership of President Arroyo, the
people of the Philippines would make further progress in
nation-building on top of the "remarkable success" they achieved in
maintaining social stability and promoting economic
development.
Jiang called for joint efforts to enhance mutual trust and push
forward bilateral cooperative relations.
He
said that over the past 27 years, since China and the
Philippines established diplomatic ties, bilateral relations
have enjoyed a smooth development benefiting peoples of the two
countries, in addition to regional stability and prosperity.
Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan also sent a congratulatory
message to his Philippines counterpart, Teofisto T.Guingona, on the
occasion.
He
said it was China's set policy to promote bilateral cooperative and
good-neighborly relations and urged vigorous implementation of a
wide range of plans stemming from the Joint Statement on the
Framework of Bilateral Cooperation in the Twenty-First Century.
(Xinhua News
Agency June 12, 2002)