There should be more joint efforts between China and the Philippines to promote relations between the two countries.
Shi Yong, Chinese consul general, said this during the celebration of the 68th founding anniversary of the People’s Republic of China in Cebu City last week.
Shi noted now is the time for this joint efforts especially that China has become ready “to become a sincere cooperation partner of the Philippines in its national development and revitalization path.”
“When everyone adds fuel, the flames rise high,” he said.
Speaking to members of the Chinese and Filipino-Chinese communities in Cebu as well as local government officials, Shi expressed China’s confidence in the development of relations between both countries.
Bilateral ties
Under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines began rekindling bilateral ties with China after a five-year diplomatic chill.
During his state visit to China in October last year, Duterte was able to bring home some $24 billion worth of financing and investment deals.
Moving forward, Shi said the Chinese Consulate-General in Cebu would like to continue working closely with local governments and other parties to expand mutually beneficial cooperation and intensify exchanges at all levels and in various fields, to allow bilateral relations to develop in a healthy and stable direction.
Exchanges, cooperation
This year was an important year for the Chinese Consulate-General in Cebu, which saw the broadening and deepening exchanges and cooperation between China and the Visayas-Mindanao areas.
Shi noted high-level official visits to this area earlier this year, including Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang’s visit to Davao where he met with President Duterte and signed a six-year development plan for Chinese-Philippine cooperation in trade and economy.
“We have more and more regional exchanges and cooperation,” Shi added.
Visits
A delegation from Fujian province in China visited Cebu province twice and held economic and trade cooperation conferences for the enterprises of the two countries.
The Chengdu City and Cebu City governments exchanged visits and signed a sister city agreement.
Nanning City and Zibo city in China renewed their friendship with Davao City and Mandaue City.
More direct flights
“More direct flights from China to Cebu were opened up allowing more Chinese tourists to come to this area,” said Shi.
In the first quarter of 2017, Chinese tourists traveling to the Visayas area registered a 77 percent year-on-year growth.
Shi said there are now more and more Chinese companies and organizations coming to this area, looking for opportunities of cooperation and investment.
“By next year, we expect more cooperation programs to be delivered. All these have brought mutual understanding and tangible benefits to the people of China and the Philippines,” he said.
The relationship between China and the Philippines has achieved an overall turnaround, entering into a “golden period of rapid development,” Shi said.
He added that the two countries have constantly deepened political mutual trust and comprehensively conducted cooperation in various fields.
22 cooperation deals
In the first half of this year, he said the two sides have signed 22 cooperation documents in infrastructure, economy, trade, agriculture, energy, drug control, tourism and other fields, as well as confirmed a batch of preferential cooperation projects in infrastructure including railways, dams and bridges.
“With the rapid growth in trade between the two countries, it is the first time that China has become the largest trading partner of the Philippines,” Shi said.
Philippine export volume to China also increased sharply. For one, the Philippines’ tropical fruits exports to China reached as much as 420,000 tons in over seven months, representing a 50-percent increase.