At least 10 pacts to be signed during state visit
PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. leaves today for a state visit to China, his first for the year and to a non-member of he Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The January 3 to 5 trip, which is on the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, is expected to build on trade and investment ties between the two countries and address security issues including the maritime dispute in the South China Sea, among others.
The visit comes amid a surge of COVID-19 cases in China and the decision of several countries to impose or consider curbs such as a negative COVID test result, and conducting random COVID tests on travelers from the Asian country.
The Department of Foreign Affairs last week said China has assured the country that all arrangements were being made to “ensure the safety of the President and the delegation during the visit.”
The President will be accompanied in the trip by First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, former President now Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Speaker Martin Romualdez, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy, among others.
The President is set to meet with Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress; Premier Li Keqiang; and Xi whom he first met on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Thailand last November.
Marcos will also attend a dinner banquet hosted by the Chinese President for Marcos, the First Lady and the Cabinet officials but will not have a meeting with the Filipino community due to the pandemic.
Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Asian and Public Affairs Neal Imperial earlier said that Marcos and Xi are is expected to have a “full range of (discussion about) our bilateral relations, both of the positive aspects of it and the sensitive aspects of our relations, which includes the issue of the West Philippine Sea and China’s activities in the area.”
Neal said there is also an expectation that the state visit will “set the tone of bilateral relations between the two countries in the next five to six years” and “build on the growing trade and investment ties between the two economies as well as address security issues of mutual concern.”
Marcos and Xi are also expected to reaffirm the “cordial and neighborly” relations between Manila and Beijing as well as “ensure continuity in many facets of the bilateral relationship and chart new areas of engagement,” the DFA said.
AGREEMENTS
Ten to 14 bilateral government agreements in the areas of trade and investments, agriculture, renewable energy, infrastructure, development cooperation, people-to-people ties and maritime security cooperation are expected to be signed during the visit.
Among the agreements is on the establishment of direct communications between the foreign ministries of Manila and Beijing at various levels, to “avoid miscalculations on issues pertaining to the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea),” which will be signed by the secretary of foreign affairs and his counterpart, the DFA said.
The signing of such an agreement follows the alleged forcible seizure by the Chinese coast guard personnel of debris from Chinese rockets recovered by the Philippine Navy in waters within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
The Philippines also plans to renew an agreement on its participation in China’s Belt and Road Initiative which complements the Marcos administration’s infrastructure program.
It will also sign a memorandum of understanding on digital cooperation focusing on the exchange of best practices, capacity building on digital connectivity and data emerging technologies; and an agreement on tourism cooperation called the Implementation Program of the MOU on Tourism Cooperation.
Other agreements expected to be signed are on the importation of durian and investment in durian-producing regions in Mindanao, a grant from China amounting to 1.5 billion renminbi (RMB), and a framework agreement on three priority bridges crossing the Pasig-Marikina River, and the Manggahan floodway bridges construction project, among others.
