‘China has no hidden geopolitical agenda in PH'
THIS year marks a great milestone in China- Philippines relations. President Xi Jinping made a successful state visit to your great country in November, the first by a Chinese head of state in 13 years. President Xi and President Duterte reached important consensus to press ahead with our blooming bilateral relations. And our two leaders witnessed the exchange of 29 singed documents covering our functional cooperation in various fields.
Proceeding from the spirit of mutual respect, sincerity, equality,
- eration, our two leaders decided to upgrade our bilateral ties to a relationship of comprehensive strategic cooperation, charting a course for this great partnership.
to support President Duterte’s endeavor in nation building and improving the people’s well-being. President Xi underlined that we Chinese will do all that we can to add strength to the future development of the Philippines.
When it comes to economic terms, the most important outcome we’ve achieved should be the signing of the MOU on cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative. With the Philippines on board, China has already signed the BRI MOUs with more than 140 countries and international organizations, including all Asean countries. China has always viewed the Philippines, a long well-known trading hub since the Galleon Trade era, as our important partner in building the Belt and Road. With the signing of this MOU, our two countries will be able to breathe fresh vitality into this grand cause and bring our economic relations and trade to a new high.
China now stands out as the Philippines’ top trading partner. Our bilateral trade already topped $50 billion in 2017 and reached almost $47 billion till October this year, representing a yearonyear increase of 11 percent. In the past two years, China has imported more than 2 million tons of tropical fruits worth $1.5 billion from the Philippines. But there’s always greater potential for us to tap. During President Xi’s visit, China agreed to import fresh coconuts and frozen fruits from the Philippines, which will
consumers and Filipino farmers.
Our two leaders also highlighted the encouraging progress in people- to- people exchanges between our two countries. China now becomes the second largest country of origin of tourists to the
of this year witnessed more than 972,000 Chinese tourists visiting the Philippines, already surpassing the figure in 2017. We are expecting the number to hit 1.5 million this year, adding revenues of more than P32 billion for the Philippines. Every week nowadays,
- tling between the cities of our two countries. The Chinese students will soon have English teachers from the Philippines. The Chinese government provides more than 50 scholarships to excellent Filipino students each year and, from 2019-2021, we will add 50 more each year. Last but not least, China will also set up a Chinese Cultural Center in Manila in the coming years so as to enable our Filipino friends to better understand and experience Chinese culture.
The year 2018 also means a lot to China. This year marks the 40th anniversary of China’s adoption of reform and the opening-up policy. As a result of our persistent efforts, China’s GDP has been growing at an average annual rate of 9.5 percent for the past four decades and increasing by 33.5 times. China now accounts for 15 percent of the world GDP, compared to 2 percent 40 years ago. It is the world’s second largest economy, biggest industrial country and largest trader in goods with the biggest foreign exchange reserves.
One important lesson we have learned from our development for the past four decades is that development will not be achieved by invasion, colonization or trade wars. Development can only be achieved through reform and opening-up. Development can only be achieved by international trade and economic globalization. Development can only be achieved by consultation and collaboration
While developing itself, China won’t stay shut behind a closed door, rather always standing ready to share with other countries, the Philippines included. China and the Philippines have a history of friendly exchanges for more than a thousand years. We have every reason to be good neighbors and friends. Let me say it again, China has no hidden geopolitical agenda in the Philippines, and we will never set up any trap whatsoever for the Philippines.
Diplomats and journalists do share some commonalities. We are all observers of and participants in current affairs and international events. And we should all be dedicated and responsible in our undertakings. I welcome all of you to visit China and get to know more about China. The embassy will continue to work with our media friends to present to the Filipino people a true and complete picture of China, so as to enable the Filipinos to better understand China, promote trust and amity between our two countries, and nurture a favorable atmosphere for the ChinaPhilippines relationship to grow from strength to strength, and last from generation to generation.