DFA Delegation Visits China to Enhance PH-China Cooperation, Mutual Understanding

The delegation from the Department of Foreign Affairs calls on Ministry of Foreign Affairs Asian Department Deputy Director General Mr. Qiu Xinli (center). (DFA photo)

BEIJING 09 July 2018 — A delegation from the Department of Foreign Affairs visited China on 29 May to 05 June 2018, at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the People’s Republic of China.

The visit is one of the activities aimed to enhance exchanges between Filipino and Chinese diplomats, under the Memorandum of Understanding on Strengthening Cooperation signed between Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on 25 July 2017.

The delegation, led by DFA Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs Principal Assistant Renee Gayle M. Chua and Office of International Economic Ralations Principal Assistant Dan Erwin C. Bagaporo, held a meeting with MFA Asian Affairs Department Deputy Director General Qiu Xinli, and discussed enhanced dialogue between the two foreign ministries.

While in Beijing, the DFA officials visited the ASEAN-China Center, to be acquainted with the organization’s ongoing initiatives to promote ASEAN-China cooperation; the headquarters of the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan, to appreciate the potential use of bamboo and rattan towards sustainable development; and the China Academy of Space Technology, to witness China’s latest advanced technology in space exploration and its practical application.

The DFA team also visited the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the Forbidden City and the Juyongguan section of the Great Wall of China.

In Dezhou City, Shandong Province, the DFA team were toured around China’s Solar Valley, a technological park for research and propagation of solar energy.

The delegation also visited tomb of the Paduka Batara, the Sultan of Sulu who traveled to China in 1417 to meet Emperor Zhu Di of the Ming Dynasty—whose journey was considered to be the country’s first diplomatic voyage to China.

The last leg of the visit was in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, where the DFA delegation visited the headquarters of Alibaba Group to learn about the company’s remarkable success in e-commerce.

The Department believes that such exchanges enhance understanding and promote cooperation between the officers and personnel of the DFA and the Chinese MFA. END

The delegation from the Department of Foreign Affairs meets with ASEAN-China Center Director of Information and Public Relations Division Mr. Vithit Powattanasuk. (DFA photo)

The delegation from the Department of Foreign Affairs at the Tomb of Sultan Paduka Batara of Sulu in Dezhou City, Shandong Province, China. (DFA photo)