MANILA -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. expressed elation Thursday after concluding a bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping in Thailand, his first meeting with the Chinese leader.

“It’s the first time that I’ve met President Xi Jinping and I was very happy that we were able to have this opportunity here in the APEC Meeting in Bangkok to have a bilateral meeting,” Marcos said after the meeting.

“The bilateral meetings are really just a kind of getting-to-know-you and that was the same with our meeting,” he pointed out. 

According to the President, they spoke about regional issues, but mostly about the plans for his upcoming state visit to China in the first week of January. 

Whatever details that need to be discussed between the Philippines and China will be taken up during his visit, Marcos noted, describing the recent meeting as “a very pleasant exchange.”

The President said Xi was also surprised to meet his old friend, former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who accompanied him during the meeting. 

“And they had a few minutes of recollecting the meetings that they have had, which I think helped the tone of the meeting. So I am looking forward to January and the state visit to China.” (PND-OPS)