Embracing opportunities, boosting ties, taking Phl-france linkages to next level
YOUR excellencies, secretaries, Assistant Secretary Jaime Victor Ledda representing Secretary Enrique Manalo, [Apostolic] Nuncio Charles John Brown, speaker, senators, distinguished guests: It is with great pleasure that I welcome you tonight at our residence, as we are almost back to normal again.
Weeks ago many of you participated in the launch of the 75th year of bilateral relations between France and the Philippines at the Pinto Museum. Fifty more events are lined up until yearend that will celebrate the creativity of Filipino and French artists, athletes, chefs and entrepreneurs. Today is a time to celebrate, but it is also in times of hardship that we can see the full extent of our friendship.
Today the rules-based international order—that is, the foundation of peace that both our nations have committed to uphold since the end of World War 2—has been threatened by the unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia. France fully supports the Ukrainian people and government [via] unprecedented sanctions against Russia. Global consequences of the aggression, like the sharp rise in food and fuel prices, remind us that our strategic interests are closely linked.
The ties with the Philippines are at the heart of our Indo-pacific strategy. Our two countries share a strong will to maintain the prevalence of the rule of law, and the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea, in particular. Our cooperation has steadily deepened in the areas of defense and security, through the frequency of our military deployments, joint drills, port calls, and the modernization of maritime capabilities. Protecting our sovereignty, safeguarding natural resources, including fishing resources, or dealing with natural disasters, are common regional concerns.
The emergence of nontraditional threats such as climate change, pandemic or food security, require us to work even more closely together.
In support of the government and UN response to Typhoon “Odette” last December, France mobilized— thanks to the remarkable support of the Navy and the Coast Guard, civil society and the private sector—to bring relief aid and much-needed equipment to affected populations.
France also supports long-term climate change resilience, [as it provided] a $250-million loan on disaster-risk reduction. We also support innovative, green-energy projects— thanks to our expertise in sectors such as hydrogen or nuclear-power generation to address the Philippines’s needs.
Responding to the pandemic, France donated 6.2 million vaccines to the Philippines through the COVAX platform, which was created to ensure equal access to Covid-19 response tools.
As early as last March, to address the global food crisis, France has been spearheading the FARM initiative, aimed at ensuring equal access to food products for numerous countries, as well as strengthening food-production capacities. As inf lation is rising and food products are getting scarce, food security is our new global challenge.
Now is also the time to embrace new opportunities, the time to increase our exchanges, and take our relationship to the next level.
In 2021 our bilateral trade went up 51 percent. With 121 businesses enlisted in the Philippines and 62,000 local jobs, these are good news showing the resilience of our entrepreneurs.
[Our countries] have a strong trade relation in aeronautical equipment, as well as pharmaceutical and food products, while the Philippines provides electronic products. French firms are very active in the infrastructure sector, exemplified by a $1-billion project [that is] part of the first underground line of the Manila Subway.
As the home of French technology and being a highly innovative research and development nation, we encourage dynamic projects in the field of technology and innovation, both in academic and business development. As a concrete example, our cooperation on the design of electronic circuits contributes to the boosting of local capacities. These efforts are supported by the French Tech network in 13 capital cities, including Manila, fostering interactions between entrepreneurs, investors, and engineers, aiding the empowerment of the tech movement in the Philippines.
Our innovative capacity is recognized again this year with awards, such as the Fields Medal—the Nobel Prize for mathematics. France has provided 13 out of the 44 laureates since the creation of this award, as well as 14 Nobel Prize Laureates in physics, 9 in chemistry, and 13 in medicine.
In 2022 France remained as the most attractive destination in Europe for foreign investors for the third year in a row. We had 1,222 projects in 2021—more than 20 percent of foreign-direct investments in Europe. It is an all-time record.
Thanks to assets like decarbonized energy, high-skilled labor, and good quality of life, the French economy has been able to attract 37-percent more industrial and logistics projects. We welcome you with open arms! Please come and visit, and make projects with us.
To conclude, let me profusely thank all the companies, from Philippines and France, who brought their generous support to this National Day event, as well as to our 75th anniversary program. I hope you will enjoy our many events lined up until the end of the year, as we look towards the next 75 years of our friendship.