Duterte returns to Cambodia, China for economic forums, to visit OFWs in Hong Kong

President Rodrigo Duterte is embarking on a three-stop trip starting Wednesday to attend economic forums in China and visit some overseas Filipino workers in Hong Kong.
 
Duterte is attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Cambodia on May 10-11, visit Hong Kong for the first time on May 11-13, and return to China for the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF), Foreign Affairs spokesperson Robespierre Bolivar said in a briefing in Malacañang on Monday.
 
As chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 2017, the President is one of the guests of honor at WEF, Bolivar noted.

It is the first time for Cambodia to host the WEF on ASEAN. The forum has adopted the theme “Youth, Technology, and Growth: Securing ASEAN’s Digital and Demographic Dividends.”
 
"This theme supports the three program pillars of the WEF on ASEAN 2017, namely ASEAN in the New Global Context; ASEAN and the Connectivity Agenda; ASEAN and the Youth Agenda," Bolivar said.

"And as ASEAN chair, the President is expected to share his views on the region’s achievements and challenges, and to deliver a message to the youth of ASEAN. As a focus of WEF later this week is ASEAN, the President is likely to inform the participants of the progress made in the building of the ASEAN Economic Community," he added.

Bolivar raised the likelihood that President Duterte will present his economic agenda, called the Dutertenomics.

"In particular, the organizers of the World Economic Forum have given the President, I think, a press conference, if I’m not mistaken, to address the business leaders, the CEOs who are present, to promote Dutertenomics and the President’s socioeconomic agenda. So that would be the main engagement that the President would have with the CEOs who are attending WEF," Bolivar said.

Over 700 leaders from business, government, civil society and the media are expected to participate in the WEF.

As the ASEAN chair, Duterte visited Cambodia on December 13-14, 2016.

OFWs
 
The President will then proceed to Hong Kong, where he is expected to meet with OFWs.
 
"As of March 2017, there were around 210,000 Filipinos in Hong Kong. Many of whom work in the hotel and restaurant industry or in the households of Hong Kong residents," Bolivar said.

"The Filipino community in Hong Kong has been actively partnering with our Consulate General in ensuring the rights and welfare of our kababayans in Hong Kong are protected and promoted, and the community has also been instrumental in promoting enhanced trade relations between the Philippines and Hong Kong and in promoting our country’s investment opportunities and tourist destinations," he added.

In January, Duterte was named "Person of the Year 2016" by a Hong Kong-based magazine. 

During the campaign in the run-up to the May 2016 elections, Duterte's son Sebastian went to woo the OFWs in Hong Kong to vote for his father.

BRF
 
Duterte will then head for China to attend the BRF on May 13-15. He was invited by Chinese President Xi Jinping. President Duterte will join 27 other heads of state and three leaders of international organizations.
 
"The topics they are expected to discuss include: infrastructure connectivity; economic and trade cooperation; industrial investment; energy and resources; financial support; people-to-people exchanges; ecological and environmental protection; and marine cooperation," Bolivar said.

The Philippines is trying to get a bilateral meeting between Duterte and Xi or Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.
 
"That’s one thing we are trying to work out. As we can imagine, as host of the Belt and Road Forum, President Xi and Premier Li would probably have a very busy schedule. So we’re trying to work out possible bilateral meetings, not just with the Chinese leadership but also with the 27 other heads of state who are attending the forum," he said.

This will be Duterte's second China visit. His first visit was a state visit on October 18-21, 2016. — VDS, GMA News