The affirmation was made one day after President Rodrigo Duterte announced his “separation” from Washington in a speech in Beijing during his official visit to China.The President declared that he wants to cooperate with China as the two countries agreed to resolve disputes in the East Sea via talks.Minister Lopez clarified that the President “did not talk about separation”.He told CNN Philippines in Beijing that in the economic front, the Philippines will not stop trade and investment activities with the US.He said the President wants to specifically mention his desire to strengthen relations with China and ASEAN instead of depending too much on one side.