2016年CRI Former Philippine president arrives in China for talks

 

Speaking to media outside Hong Kong International Airport, Ramos said he had come to renew the friendship between China and Philippines.

"We are here as a special envoy¹ of our new president, Rodrigo Duterte, a very good man. We want only to renew our friendship, or as he said in his statement, to rekindle² the goodwill³, the harmony and the crossed ties of the Philippines and China."

Ramos has been appointed as a special envoy by Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte to repair its soured ties with China.

The appointment came in the wake of Manila's unilateral move to bring the South China Sea dispute to an arbitral tribunal in The Hague.

China dismissed the ruling issued on July 12 as "null and void with no binding⁴ force", and refused to take part in or recognize the arbitration⁵ case.

It also stressed that it stands ready to continue to resolve disputes peacefully through negotiation⁶ and consultation⁷ on the basis of respecting historical facts and in accordance with international law.

This is the 88-year-old former Philippine President's first trip to Beijing in his role as envoy.

Speaking at a news conference before his departure, Ramos said he would play the role as an icebreaker to rekindle, to warm up again his country's good friendly, neighborly relation to China.

He said it'll also be beneficial to ease the ongoing⁸ regional tension brought by the territorial⁹ disputes.

"My initial thought on the preliminary phase, eventually - I am sure you will hear this from high officials in Manila and other departments - eventually, there will be formal, bilateral¹⁰ talks. And the objective is the same objective as me, which is to bring about a condition of peace, sustainable development, and harmony in our Asia-Pacific region."

Ramos also noted¹¹ that his visit was more private in nature, and unofficial.

He's due to meet some old friends and also hold initial talks with Chinese officials, which could be the first step towards restarting bilateral relations.

Ramos served as the Philippine president from 1992 to 1998 and has maintained good ties with China even after stepping down from office.

He was also instrumental in the creation of the Boao Forum¹² for Asia in 1998, a non-government and non-profit international organization, for which he also served as a chairman.

The forum, inaugurated in south China's Boao city in Hainan, meets annually¹³ to discuss the most pressing issues in the region and the world at large.

For CRI, I'm Xie Cheng.

1 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

2 rekindle   

v.使再振作；再点火

参考例句：

• Nothing could rekindle her extinct passion.她激情已逝,无从心回意转。
• Is there anything could rekindle his extinct passion?有什么事情可重燃他逝去的热情呢？

3 goodwill   

n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉

参考例句：

• His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
• We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。

4 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

5 arbitration   

n.调停，仲裁

参考例句：

• The wage disagreement is under arbitration.工资纠纷正在仲裁中。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding.双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

6 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

7 consultation   

n.咨询；商量；商议；会议

参考例句：

• The company has promised wide consultation on its expansion plans.该公司允诺就其扩展计划广泛征求意见。
• The scheme was developed in close consultation with the local community.该计划是在同当地社区密切磋商中逐渐形成的。

8 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

9 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

10 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

11 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

12 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

13 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。