Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano confirmed on Tuesday that Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit the country sometime within this year, with aims to make further progress in the already burgeoning relationship shared between the two nations.
According to the Philippine News Agency, a state-run media, the invitation for the state visit was initiated by Philippines during the first bilateral meeting between Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte and President Xi on October of last year.
Cayetano added that Beijing accepted the invite "right away" although the upcoming meet was only scheduled later this year.
Xi's trip to the Philippines would be his first since President Duterte took office.
In a separate interview with the secretary, cited over at South China Morning Post, Cayetano said that the Philippine side is already "fixing the date" of the visit.
The diplomat further explained the reason behind the delay, which apparently has something to do with making the necessary preparations.
"...when presidents at this level meet, there are a lot of preparations," Cayetano said.
More than that, both parties have to make sure every crucial issue concerning them will be covered during the summit.
One of the issues likely to be tackled would have something to do with the dispute in South China Sea. The two Asian neighbors have long been at each other's horns, with each side laying sovereign claims on the said bodies of water.
Previous reports indicated that the Philippines has already loosened up its grip on this matter of territorial significance. From a "confrontational approach" led by the former administration, the current presidency is now opting to take on a "conciliatory tack" in which it seeks to employ "bilateral consultation mechanism" to resolve the territorial issue.
The change of stance drew ire from the public, with the general population demanding that the Philippines should regain full control of the islands and seas comprising the area of interest.
Malacañang Palace, however, clarified that the administration is one with the people in its aspiration to impose its territorial rights on the disputed maritime area, locally is referred to as the West Philippine Sea.
"We are one with our people in seeking to assert our sovereign rights and territorial claims in the West Philippine Sea," a spokesperson of Duterte, Harry Roque, told the press.
Duterte has been hard at work to mend the broken ties between Beijing and Manila. His predecessor, Benigno Aquino, took the dispute to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. The international court ruled against China's historical claims.
