Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said yesterday Manila was entering a new phase in its relationship with Beijing by forging military ties and joint co-operation in the disputed South China Sea.
'President Hu [Jintao] said that our ties can become even closer if we now begin to undertake defence co-operation,' Mrs Arroyo said. 'He asked me to instruct my secretary of defence to go to China to pursue this new phase of our relationship.'
Speaking at the Manila Overseas Press Club, Mrs Arroyo described as groundbreaking her agreement with the mainland to conduct joint research for oil around the disputed Spratly Islands, and to allow nationals from both sides to fish there.
'That will help transform the South China Sea from an area of conflict, to an area of co-operation' in accordance with a previous agreement among Southeast Asian nations, she said.
It is a surprising turnaround for Mrs Arroyo, who initially showed reluctance to even negotiate with local communist insurgents when she assumed the presidency in January 2001.
China has in the past been accused of providing arms to the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People's Army.