MANILA, Philippines — Presidential Proclamation No. 148 declared the 9th of June each year as Filipino-Chinese Friendship Day.

The establishment of Filipino-Chinese Friendship Day was occasioned by the celebration of the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the Philippines and the People’s Republic of China on June 9, 1975. In the last 36 years, our two countries have attained smooth relations and remarkable achievements in all areas of bilateral cooperation.

Though the bilateral relations are fairly recent, our two countries have had centuries of people-to-people exchange. Filipino-Chinese relations existed as early as 200 B.C. Traders, migrants, and travelers from the mainland came to the Philippines and intermarried with the native inhabitants.

The Chinese visitors enriched Philippine history and culture. Descendants of the Chinese settlers came to figure prominently in almost every aspect of Philippine life.

Accounts by China’s Imperial Ambassadors, notably Chao Ju-Kua and Wang Ta-yuasn, highlight the fruitful ties that mutually benefitted the two countries.

We greet the People’s Republic of China, H.E. Ambassador Liu Jianchao, and the Chinese communities all over the world, as we celebrate Filipino-Chinese Friendship Day. We look forward to many more years of fruitful partnership between the Republic of the Philippines and the People’s Republic of China.

Mabuhay!