China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) on Tuesday reiterated that a joint commission on commerce and trade will continue playing an important role in increasing trade with the Philippines.
The joint commission is a bilateral dialogue mechanism initiated in May, 1977 to help address commercial and trade issues.
In response to a Global Times inquiry about the function of the joint commission, the MOFCOM said that the mechanism, which has held meetings 27 times, has facilitated bilateral cooperation on trade, agriculture, infrastructure construction and investment.
After a suspension of five years, the mechanism is expected to restart within this year, according to the ministry. It didn't disclose the reasons for the suspension in Tuesday's response.
The Philippines' new government has frequently shown a willingness to restart bilateral dialogue to improve ties with China, said the ministry. Relations were jeopardized by an arbitration decision involving the South China Sea dispute in July.
Data from the MOFCOM showed that bilateral trade between the two countries increased 5.6 percent year-on-year to $22.27 billion in the first half of 2016.
