MANILA, June 9 (Xinhua) -- The relations between China and the Philippines will be moving forward with more progress, said Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua on Saturday.

Zhao made the remarks at a gala celebrating the 43rd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the Philippines and the 17th China-Philippines Friendship Day.

Since Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte took office in 2016, the Sino-Philippine relations have achieved an overall turnaround and sustained growth, said the ambassador.

Zhao said the strategic mutual trust between the two countries has been deepened, and the warm bilateral relations have been translated into economic benefits for peoples of the two nations, adding that people-to-people exchanges are booming.

He believed the friendship between China and the Philippines will "blossom into even brighter excellence."

During the event, Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said Manila has faith in its relations with Beijing, and that both sides should work towards a win-win situation.

"We are celebrating the 43rd anniversary of our diplomatic relations because not only did we have faith in our relationship with China, but we put action to our faith," Cayetano said.

He said the focus of the ties should be to work toward a win-win situation.

"This is not a one-way relationship; it is a two-way relationship," Cayetano said, vowing to further work together with China to strengthen ties that will benefit the future generation.