(CNN Philippines, May 3) — President Rodrigo Duterte received a phone call from Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday afternoon, wherein he thanked China for inviting him to tour the warship “Chang Chung” last Monday.
Read more: Duterte impressed with Chinese warship, open to joint drills
According to DFA Spokesperon Robespierre Bolivar, Duterte and Xi had a very cordial conversation.
In a statement, Bolivar said Duterte shared Philippines’ stand on tensions in the Korean Peninsula, emphasizing China’s important role in promoting peace in the area.
In his capacity as Chair of ASEAN, the President spoke about how to further strengthen ties with ASEAN’s dialogue partners and shared the outcomes of the recently concluded successful ASEAN summit.
“He also mentioned that as the Chair of ASEAN, ASEAN discussed and agreed on measures to promote ASEAN unity, centrality and solidarity as well as ASEAN commitment to continue promoting peace and stability in the Asia Pacific region,” Bolivar said.
Duterte drew criticisms after the Chairman’s statement was toned down to avoid referrence to the arbitral ruling that voided China’s sweeping claim in the South China Sea.
Read more: ASEAN tones down stance on arbitral ruling
