CONSUL GENERAL SHI YONG
Expect 600,000 to 700,000 Chinese nationals to visit Central Visayas by yearend.
This was the pronouncement of outgoing Consul General Shi Yong in his speech during the 69th founding anniversary of the People’s Republic of China at the Marco Polo Plaza Cebu last week.
Data from the Department of Tourism show that Central Visayas or Region 7 — composed of Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental and Siquijor provinces — welcomed 429,306 Chinese guests in 2017 or a 75.28 percent growth rate from 2016’s 244,925 arrivals.
The Consul said there are now more than 30 direct flights from Cebu to various Chinese cities in a week.
AirAsia flies to Shanghai, Hangzhou and Shenzhen from Cebu. Cebu Pacific flies daily to Hong Kong, China’s special administrative region (SAR), and has recently announced a new Cebu-Macau route. Macau is also a SAR of China.
Other airlines with direct flights to Cebu are Xiamen Airlines, Sichuan Airlines and China Eastern.
He credits this development to warm bilateral relations and sister-city exchanges between China and the Philippines.
“I am so glad that the provinces of Cebu and Bohol, plus the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Danao and Dumaguete, and so many other provinces and cities in these areas are building sisterhood relations with their counterparts in China,” said the Consul, who served the Chinese Consulate in Cebu for two years.
Just this month, Cebu and China’s Fujian province signed a sister-province agreement strengthening trade relations and people-to-people exchanges.
“China now stands out as the Philippines’ top trading partner and import origin, as well as the Philippines’ second largest tourist country of origin,” he told guests in the Grand Ballroom of Marco Polo Plaza Cebu.
The Consul said China had achieved its development by “opening up” to the world.
“With the support of the world, China has been taking concrete steps to give back by sharing its development opportunities,” he said.
He cited China International Import Expo to be held this November as a demonstration of China’s resolve to further welcome more countries.
“China will continue to pursue the Belt and Road Initiative to create new opportunities of social and economic development for participating countries,” he said.
“We will continue to follow the principles of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness. We will broaden cooperation and narrow differences with neighbors to jointly build a community of shared future in Asia,” added the Consul.
He said China and the Philippines’ “strategic mutual trust has been consistently deepened” with President Rodrigo Duterte meeting President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang six times in the last two years.
In these meetings, the country leaders conducted a series of bilateral dialogues and consultations in the areas of foreign affairs, defense, energy, economy and trade.
“China supports the Philippines in its efforts to push forward anti-terrorism, drug elimination and crime eradication campaigns,” he said.