Philippines, China Hold Bilateral Consultation on Consular Relations

DFA Assistant Secretary Ma. Antonina Mendoza-Oblena (front, rightmost) and MFA Director General Long Zhou (front, center) with members of the Philippine and Chinese delegations during the Joint Consular Consultation in Beijing on 22 July 2025. (Beijing PE photo)

BEIJING 28 July 2025 – The Philippines and China held the 9th Joint Consular Consultation in Beijing on 22 July 2025 to discuss the safety, rights, and welfare of their respective nationals, as well as law enforcement cooperation, trade and investment, and tourism. The last JCC meeting was held in Manila in 2019. 

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Maria Antonina M. Mendoza-Oblena and Chinese Foreign Ministry Director-General for Consular Affairs Long Zhou acknowledged that centuries of friendship between the Filipino and Chinese peoples form the bedrock of bilateral relations.

“Our relations have faced challenges, but we continue to cooperate in protecting our nationals and persist in aspiring for more people-to-people exchanges,” said Assistant Secretary Mendoza-Oblena. The two sides stressed ongoing cooperation between the two countries in addressing transnational and other crimes, including illegal gambling.

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., announced the banning of Philippine Offshore Gaming Corporations in 2024. Since then, both countries have been cooperating to crack down on illegal gambling operations.

“Law enforcement is one of the areas where bilateral cooperation can continue to flourish and where information-sharing on law enforcement can be further strengthened,” Assistant Secretary Mendoza-Oblena said.

The two sides agreed on the importance of engagement through this bilateral mechanism in order to achieve improvements in managing consular cases, which facilitate people-to-people relationships. END

For more information, visit https://www.beijingpe.dfa.gov.ph.