PNoy’s China trip to focus on trade, investment, says DFA
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has lined up six bilateral agreements including a $60 billion-dollar investment program for President Benigno Aquino IIIâs five-day state visit to China, with 200 to 250 Filipino businessmen as part of the Philippine entourage. âWe always have targets and we wonât have this target kung hindi magiging posible. We will work hard but I think it could be done," DFA Assistant Secretary for Asia and Pacific Affairs Cristina Ortega said of the five-year trade and economic cooperation program Filipino and Chinese officials will sign next week. Ortega said the sectors included in the program are infrastructure, mining, energy, information and tourism. An âImplementing Program" on a memorandum of understanding on tourism will also be forged. President Aquino will visit the cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen to keynote three important fora. In Beijing, he will address the Philippine-Chinese Economic and Trade Forum. Aquino will also speak before the High Level Forum with Yangtze River Delta Government Officials and Business Enterprises in Shanghai. In Xiamen, the President will address the Philippine-Fujian Business Conference. In one-on-one meetings with Chinese businessmen, the President will promote governmentâs public-private partnership program. Among those in the 13-man delegation of President Aquino are DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario, Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Transportation and Communications Secretary Manuel Roxas II, and Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda. âThe visit hopes to push for more trade, investment, media, culture, education and tourism exchanges between both sides. It will also showcase the Philippines as an attractive and profitable business destination," Ortega said. Welfare of Filipino migrants President Aquino will meet the Filipino community in each of three cities he will visit for an overview on how the more than 12,700 Filipinos live and work in China. Asked if the President will take the opportunity to seek reprieve for Filipinos facing the death penalty in China, Ortega said Aquino will most likely not go into that area. âNot at this time. I donât think so⦠We would like to assist and protect Filipinos. At the same time, we cannot be seen as a country that condones drug-trafficking," she said. She said the Philippine embassy provides lawyers and visits Filipinos jailed in Chinaâs prisons and detention facilities, some of whom are in for offenses involving illegal drugs. There will be discussions on stronger anti-drug trafficking efforts when President Aquino meets Chinese officials, according to the DFA official. âWe have plans of having a sort of an agreement with China to work together on this issue, especially on transnational crimes â hindi lang drugs â pati people trafficking, smuggling. Itâs all in one, you know, in one agreement siguro âyan," she said. The West Philippine Sea President Aquino will meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Premiere Wen Jiabao and Chairman Wu Bangguo of the National Peopleâs Congress, according to the DFA. On the joint statement on the West Philippine Sea, Ortega said the document will be released only after the state visit. âWe will have a Joint Statement of the Philippines and China⦠that will be crafted during and right after the state visit to China. So, hindi pa natin alam âyan. I donât think we can preempt the joint statement but I would assume that there would be a line or two on the West Philippine Sea," Ortega said. She believed the President would just say a few words on the matter. âYou know, saying in a general way that we agree to disagree but we will keep our lines of communication. We will keep on talking and hopefully this state visit would improve or raise our bilateral relations with China on a higher level," she said. Ortega also said it is unlikely that there will be a special agreement on the West Philippine Sea during the visit. âAn agreement regarding territorial or maritime disputes is not very easy to have. Hindi âyun mangyayari, maraming claimants, as you already know, and we are pushing for the multilateral approach. Since there are many claimants in the South China Sea and because this is a problem of the region then the answer would be multilateral or a regional," she said. Sports, culture, information During the state visit, Chinese and PHilippines officials will sign a memorandum of understanding between the Presidential Communications Operations Office and Chinaâs State Council Information Office on Friendly Exchanges. A memorandum of understanding on sports cooperation and an exchange of letters on the Executive Program of the Philippines-China Cultural Agreement is also on the agenda. Ortega said the agreements will highlight âthe centuries-old friendship between the Philippines and China, and our desire to promote more exchanges and better understanding between our peoples." In Xiamen, President Aquino will visit Hongjian Park where the Sino-Philippine Memorial Hall was built in honor of his mother, the late President Corazon C. Aquino. Ortega said the President is from the Su clan in Hongjian Village. âWe will find some kin of the President. So the President will be there, will visit that Memorial Hall, and then he will light an incense to honor his ancestors in that village," she said. Diplomatic relations between the Philippines and China were established on June 9, 1975. Since then, China has been the Philippinesâ third largest trading partner and fourth largest source of tourists as well as the fourth largest source of development assistance. â VS, GMA News