China, Philippines to roll out $3.7B in cooperation projects

State media cite a senior Chinese official as saying China and the Philippines have agreed on $3.7 billion worth of projects to boost cooperation.
The official Xinhua News Agency cited Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng as saying after a Monday meeting with a Cabinet delegation from the Philippines that the projects are aimed at "improving people's living standards."
No specific details on the projects were released, though Xinhua cites Gao as saying a formal agreement on how to implement the projects would be signed before the Philippine delegation left Beijing.
Under Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who took office in June, frosty relations between the Asian neighbors over longstanding South China Sea territorial disputes have undergone rapid improvement.

Duterte has since visited Beijing once and is planning another China trip this year.