China is willing to work with the Philippines to fully implement the Declaration on Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and promote the consultation on a Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea, said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Wang made the remarks when meeting with the Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin on Friday in Nanping City, Fujian Province.

The two countries should make joint efforts in maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea and development momentum of bilateral ties, he added.

To strengthen bilateral ties, Wang stressed cooperation in areas such as vaccine and joint construction of Belt and Road, as well as emerging areas like cross-border e-commerce.

Noting that 2021 marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of dialogue relations between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), he said that China is ready to work with ASEAN countries including the Philippines to promote the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

Locsin said the Philippines thanks China for providing anti-epidemic supplies especially vaccines to support its fight against COVID-19, stressing that China is not providing vaccines to engage in "vaccine diplomacy".

Without China's support, it will be difficult for the region and the world to recover from the pandemic, said the Philippine foreign secretary.

The Philippines welcomes China's proposal to convene a special China-ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting, and the Philippines, together with ASEAN countries, will actively study the China-proposed Global Initiative on Data Security, he added.