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PH, China to sign 14 bilateral agreements during Marcos’ state visit to Beijing

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Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi pays a courtesy call on President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. at the Palace Music Room, Tuesday, July 6, 2022. President Marcos seeks to strengthen ties with Asia’s economic giant. Palace Photos" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/news/12/29/20220706-wang-yi-courtesy-call-mnib-4.jpg"/><figcaption>Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi pays a courtesy call on President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. at the Palace Music Room, Tuesday, July 6, 2022. President Marcos seeks to strengthen ties with Asia’s economic giant. Palace Photos</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA — The Philippines and China will sign 14 bilateral agreements during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s state visit to Asia’s largest economy next week, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.Among the agreements that will be signed between Manila and Beijing is a deal that would establish direct communication lines between the foreign ministries of the 2 countries, said Neal Imperial, DFA Assistant Secretary for Asian and Pacific Affairs.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/29/22/philippines-china-to-ink-deal-for-direct-communication-on-west-ph-sea">Philippines, China to ink deal for &#x27;direct communication&#x27; on West PH Sea</a></li></ul>“To avoid miscalculation and miscommunication in the Wesst Philippine Sea, both sides have agreed to sign agreements to establish direct communication between 2 foreign ministries on various levels,” he said in a press conference.“The President wants a peaceful and stable situation in the West Philippine Sea. We will continue to uphold the country’s sovereign rights,” he said.When asked if Marcos would raise recent Chinese incursions in the West Philippine Sea during his meeting with President Xi Jinping, the DFA official said: “The President will raise important issues affecting our bilateral relations among them the issue on the West Philippine Sea… [but] we cannot say how specific discussions will be.”<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/07/07/22/china-ready-for-golden-era-with-ph-under-marcos-jr">China ready for ‘golden era’ with the Philippines under Marcos Jr.</a></li></ul>“We do not wish to preempt or second guess what the president will say to his counterparts,” he said.“The maritime issues do not define the totality of our bilateral relations with China but nevertheless we acknowledge the importance of this to our people,” he added.<div>‘DURIAN DIPLOMACY’</div>A deal on additional investments in the agricultural sector, particularly on the importation of durian to China will also be signed, Imperial said.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/11/22/marcos-jr-in-china-state-visit-in-january">Marcos Jr. to make state visit to China in January: Palace</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/19/22/philippines-filed-193-note-verbales-vs-china-in-2022">Philippines filed 193 note verbales vs China in 2022</a></li></ul>“The Chinese market has a voracious appetite for durian,” he said.“There are possible investments in the durian-producing regions in Mindanao. You can call that some form of durian diplomacy, I guess,” he said.<div>OTHER BILATERAL AGREEMENTS</div>Manila and Beijing will finalize an agreement on tourism cooperation as China is the second largest source of tourism for the Philippines in 2019, Imperial said.There were 1.8 million Chinese tourists who arrived in the Philippines the year before the COVID-19 pandemic began, he said.“Now that China is planning to reopen, we want to resume people to people exchanges,” he said.“We think it will be a big boost to our tourism sector towards our recovery after the pandemic.”The two countries are also expected to sign deals on nickel processing as “China imports 70 percent of its nickel ore requirements from the Philippines,” the DFA said.Beijing is also looking at signing a possible RMB1.5-billion grant for the Philippines, as well as finalizing the framework agreement for 3 bridge projects, including the Pasig-Marikina bridge and the Manggahan-Floodway project, Imperial said.Bilateral agreements on renewable energy, digital cooperation, exchange of best practices and capacity building, will also be signed during Marcos’ state visit, he said.“We plan to renew the agreement on our participation in the Belt and Road Initiative of China which we believe complements the thrust of the administration,” he said.The BRI is one of the projects of Xi that seeks to construct trade routes leading to China that would stretch from Asia, Africa, and Europe.The Philippines’ continued participation in the BRI is expected to help Manila forge closer ties with Beijing, its’ “largest trading partner, largest source of imports and second largest export destination.”As of 2021, bilateral trade between China and the Philippines is pegged at $38.35 billion, Imperial said, citing data from the Department of Trade and Investments.Philippine exports to China is pegged at $11.55 billion, while imports amount to $26.8 billion, he said.“There is a $15.25 billion deficit, in favor of China, in 2021,” he said.Top exports to China include nickel, cathodes, manufactured goods and fresh bananas, according to 2020 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.On the other hand, top imports from China include mineral fuels, lubricants, iron, steel, and other industrial machinery and equipment.Marcos Jr. will travel with First Lady Liza Marcos, former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, and several Cabinet secretaries.Marcos earlier described Arroyo as his “secret weapon” during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Thailand in November, where he first held a bilateral meeting with Xi.Aside from the Chinese President, Marcos Jr. is also expected to hold meetings with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Standing Committee of the National People&#x27;s Congress chairman Li Zhanshu.Marcos will return to Manila on January 5, 2023.Unlike his other foreign trips, the President will not mee the Filipino community in Beijing due to the outbreak of COVID-19 cases in China, where the virus was first detected in late 2019.<div> ###</div>

The two countries are also expected to sign deals on nickel processing as 'China imports 70 percent of its nickel ore requirements from the Philippines,' the DFA said.

PH, China to sign 14 bilateral agreements during Marcos’ state visit to Beijing

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PH, China to sign 14 bilateral agreements during Marcos’ state visit to Beijing

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Dec 29, 2022 04:10 PM PHT

Read More:

Bongbong Marcos

China state visit

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Ferdinand Marcos Jr state visit to China

Marcos Jr state visit

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