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Philippine protesters hold up placards as they demonstrate against China's territorial claims over the disputed Spratlys group of islands outside the Chinese consular office in Makati city, south of Manila on July 12. Photo: EPA

No Chinese boycott of Philippine products over tribunal’s South China Sea ruling: Beijing official

China has not boycotted Philippine products despite calls by mainland online users to retaliate after the international tribunal ruling on July 12 said Beijing had violated Manila’s sovereign rights in the South China Sea, a senior Chinese official said.

“There have been calls from China’s online users to boycott Philippine products, but it has not actually happened,” said Gao Yan, Deputy Minister of Commerce, told a press conference on Tuesday.

Trade relations between China and the Philippines had remained steady over the past year, Gao said.

China was prepared to deepen its economic cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including the Philippines.

She added that Beijing was willing to develop equal, mutually beneficial and diversified trade relations with the Philippines.

China currently is Asean’s biggest trading partner, while Asean is China’s third biggest.

Bilateral trade between China and Asean rose to US$472.16 billion in 2015 compared with US$7.96 billion in 1991, with an annual growth rate of 18.5 per cent, Gao said.

However, she said the decline in the bilateral trade this year had been caused by the febrile global economy.

During the January to May period, bilateral trade fell 7.1 per cent year on year to US$173.57 billion.

The two sides were trying their best to “get bilateral-trade growth back on track as soon as possible”, Gao said.

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