28 August 2015 – Philippine Ambassador to China Erlinda F. Basilio led the officers and staff of the Embassy in welcoming to the chancery on August 13, a select group of 19  delegates to this year’s annual Yale Model UN (YMUN) China Conference and Preparatory Institute, a partnership between the Yale International Relations Association and the China Association for Model United Nations. The YMUN functions as a summer camp wherein participants are exposed to the different committees of a Model UN conference, such as the Security Council, UNESCO, etc. The delegates, who were accompanied by 11 local support and co-teaching staff members, are students from Chinese and international schools all over China.

In Ambassador Basilio’s remarks to the delegates, she exhorted them to maximize their participation in the 2015 YMUN China Conference by taking in as much knowledge and information as offered to them and opening their minds to new ideas and concepts. The Ambassador likewise encouraged them to share their views and ideas during the open forum for a lively and healthy discussion. Ambassador Basilio also gave them a short tour of the Embassy, including Sentro Rizal Beijing and the reading room in the chancery.

A highlight of their visit to the Embassy was a briefing on Philippines-China relations and the work of the Philippine Embassy in Beijing given by Deputy Chief of Mission Evangeline Ong Jimenez-Ducrocq. During the animated open forum and interaction, the delegates showed strong interest in diplomacy and international relations as they raised questions and comments on various issues such as ASEAN, the specifics of working as a diplomat and the Embassy’s consular functions particularly its visa procedures.

The delegates interacted further with the Ambassador and the Embassy’s officers  with more questions on their specific functions and roles in the Embassy as well as Embassy’s projects and activities during the refreshments that were offered to the student-guests. END