Beijing to assist Manila in its fight against terrorism

China is willing to "lend a hand" to the Philippines in its fight against terrorism and will continue to provide necessary help as required, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday, a day after Beijing offered Manila urgent military assistance.

"Now, since our neighbor, the Philippines, is being seriously threatened by terrorism, China will surely give a helping hand without any doubt," Wang told reporters after meeting with his Philippine counterpart Alan Peter Cayetano in Beijing.

China provided the first shipment of materials and equipment on Wednesday as urgent assistance to the Philippines, Wang said.

"We are willing to offer necessary support and assistance in the future according to the needs of the Philippines, including participating in postwar resettlement and reconstruction work in Marawi City," he said.

China will also continue to push forward and implement major cooperative projects as agreed with the Philippines to help it develop the economy, improve people's livelihood, help tackle the use of illegal narcotics, and remove the soil where terrorism breeds, he added.

Hailing the "golden period of fast development" that China-Philippine relations have entered, the Chinese foreign minister also said: "If anyone wants to reverse the current progress, it will not work and the interests of the Philippine people will be directly harmed."

He called for the two countries to stick to the direction of good-neighborliness and friendship, enhance political mutual trust, and appropriately deal with sensitive issues while expanding pragmatic cooperation. That way, "the prospects for the bilateral relationship will be bright".

Cayetano said both sides agreed that cooperation must be further enhanced in the fight against illegal drugs. He said his country requires more cross-border support and collaboration to fight terrorism.

He also said peace and stability in the South China Sea and the whole region has been a tangible result of the recent improvement in ties with China. Relations were turned around in October after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte made a state visit to China.