China has never been and will never be a rival to the Philippines, and it has even less chance of being a threat, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday during a joint press conference with his newly appointed Filipino counterpart Teodoro Locsin.

Wang commended the meeting with Locsin in which the two reached the extensive consensus on the next step of high-level exchanges and cooperation in various fields.

The minister welcomed the achievements the Philippines gained under the well governance by Rodrigo Duterte since he was in power.

China will firmly support the Philippines to accelerate its economic and social development, Wang said, adding that the Philippines is an important hub for the Maritime Silk Road and a natural partner for the Belt and Road Initiative.

On national security and stability, China will firmly support the Philippines and continue to provide material support, intelligence sharing and capacity building.

This year marks the fifteenth anniversary of China and ASEAN strategic partnership established in 2003.

Thus, China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with the Philippines, jointly promote the upgrading of China-ASEAN relations and achieve greater development in east Asian cooperation.

When asked China's expectations and views on the future situation in the South China Sea, Wang hailed the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea, describing it as the regional rules for peace and stability in the South China Sea which China and ASEAN countries jointly safeguard.

With the joint efforts of China and the Philippines and other countries in this region, calm has returned in recent years, and China will work with the Philippines and other ASEAN countries to strengthen dialogue and cooperation in order to eliminate external interference, he said.

"China is ready to enhance cooperation with the Philippines and other coastal countries along the South China Sea, strengthen cooperation on environmental protection, scientific research, fishery and search and rescue, so as to enhance trust and deliver more benefit to the peoples of the countries. China is also ready to further discuss with the Philippines about joint development of oil and natural gas in the South China Sea," Wang said.

"Now China and the Philippines have increased interactions on the sea. We should work together to build up the mechanism for such interactions," Wang said, adding that China is ready to set up a similar mechanism with other concerned parties to enhance communication and properly handle emergencies.

Wang said that China is ready to work with other ASEAN countries to speed up COC consultation and that China also hopes to conclude the consultation during the term of the Philippines as a country coordinator for China-ASEAN relations.

"We hold fast to our unwavering commitment to the Declaration of Conduct in the South China Sea. Through respectful dialogue with each other and with our partners in ASEAN, we are moving forward with astonishing amity in the negotiations toward a Code of Conduct," Locsin said.

(Cover: Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends a joint press conference with his Filipino counterpart Teodoro Locsin in the southern Philippine city of Davao, October 29, 2018. /MOFA Photo)