Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang to Visit the Philippines from 21 to 23 April 2023

18 April 2023 - Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister (SCFM) Qin Gang will undertake an official visit to the Philippines from 21 to 23 April 2023, at the invitation of Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo.  

The official visit continues the series of high-level interactions between the Philippines and China in 2023, following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s state visit to China in early January.

The two officials will exchange views on the outcomes of the Philippines-China Foreign Ministry Consultations and Bilateral Consultations Mechanism on the South China Sea that were held back-to-back in Manila last March.

SCFM Qin is set to meet Secretary Manalo in their first in-person meeting. The two Foreign Ministers will discuss ways forward in the implementation of the agreements reached at the highest levels during the meeting between President Marcos and Chinese President Xi Jinping on 4 January 2023. In particular, both sides will discuss increasing and strengthening cooperation in the fields of agriculture, trade, energy, infrastructure, and people-to-people relations, among others.

They will also discuss regional security issues of mutual concern.

SCFM Qin’s visit will be his first official engagement with the Philippines since his appointment as both Foreign Minister and State Councilor in late December 2022 and early March 2023, respectively. END