Marking the first time that a top Philippine official delivered long lines of Mandarin in a speech, Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday, Sept. 26, greeted the People’s Republic of China for its 73rd founding anniversary.
In a 42-second video message, Duterte delivered part of her message in Mandarin, the language spoken in Beijing and most parts of northern and southwestern China.
In her speech, Duterte recognized China for being a “generous neighbor” and helping the Philippines’ economy recover amid the Covid-19 pandemic that pushed the country to the brink of recession.
“Thanks to China and its people, Tiger Cub economies, like the Philippines, are inspired to be more aggressive in our economic targets. In 2021, China stood as the Philippines’ top bilateral trading partner, helping us recover from the economic hardships brought about by the pandemic,” Duterte said.
“We are grateful that China is a generous neighbor. We look forward to forging more partnerships and collaborations with you as we journey together towards achieving our sustainable development goals and recovering from the adverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic,” she added.
The lady official recognized the “relentless efforts of the Chinese people under the leadership of the Communist Party of China” that made the country a leader in economy, research and development, technology, and manufacturing.
Because of China’s contribution to the Asian economy, the region is now “the fastest growing economic region in the world,” Duterte said.
But more than China’s contribution to the Asian region, the Vice President highlighted how the relationship between the two countries grew under the leadership of his father, former president Rodrigo Duterte.
“Philippines and China relations have soared and reached new heights under the guidance of former President Duterte and President Xi (Jinping),” she said.
“I am delighted to note that this positive momentum has made diplomatic engagement with our President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Ambassador Huang (Xilian) smoother especially in the run-up to the 50th anniversary of our diplomatic ties,” she added.