Leaders of China, Philippines share responsibility to maintain friendship, cooperation: Xi

The leaders of China and the Philippines share responsibility to maintain and deepen their good neighborly and friendly relations as well as the mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday.

In a message to congratulate Rodrigo Duterte on being elected Philippine president, Xi said China and the Philippines enjoy a long history of friendly exchanges and deep traditional friendship between the two peoples.

"A friendly, stable and sound China-Philippines relationship is in the fundamental interests of the two countries and the two peoples," Xi said, adding that he hoped the two sides would work together to get bilateral relations back on the track of sound development.

Xi also congratulated Duterte beforehand on leading the Philippine people to make new achievements in national construction and development.

A joint session of the Philippine Congress on Monday proclaimed Duterte as the new Philippine president, over 20 days after the May 9 elections.

Duterte, 71, will take over from President Benigno Aquino on June 30 as the country's 16th president.

(APD)