China's top diplomat to visit PH
Published Apr 18, 2023 09:36 am
China's top diplomat, Foreign Minister Qin Gang, will fly to the Philippines over the weekend for an official visit and meeting with his Filipino counterpart as Beijing and Manila keep their relations warm amid their continued differences, especially over the South China Sea.
Qin, who is also China's State Councilor, will sit down with Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Enrique Manalo to exchange views on the outcomes of the recent Philippines-China Foreign Ministry Consultations and Bilateral Consultations Mechanism on the South China Sea held in Manila in March.
The DFA made the announcement on Tuesday and added that the Chinese official will be in Manila from April 21 to 23.
China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang. (Photo courtesy of China's Foreign Ministry)
"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 agency said. It will be Qin and Manalo's first in-person meeting, where they are expected to "discuss ways forward in the implementation of the agreements reached" during Marcos and Chinese President Xi Jinping's bilateral talk. "Both sides will discuss increasing and strengthening cooperation in the fields of agriculture, trade, energy, infrastructure, and people-to-people relations, among others," DFA added. Worth noting is that the two sides "will also discuss regional security issues of mutual concern," according to DFA, as Beijing continues its aggressive activities in the West Philippine Sea and the South China Sea, which other countries saw as a threat against peace and stability in the region. The visit coincidentally followed Manalo's recent high-level engagements with the officials of the US, China's main rival, in Washington, D.C., wherein Manila and Washington bolstered their military alliance in response of China's aggression in the waters, among other reasons. "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," the DFA said.
China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang. (Photo courtesy of China's Foreign Ministry)
"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 agency said. It will be Qin and Manalo's first in-person meeting, where they are expected to "discuss ways forward in the implementation of the agreements reached" during Marcos and Chinese President Xi Jinping's bilateral talk. "Both sides will discuss increasing and strengthening cooperation in the fields of agriculture, trade, energy, infrastructure, and people-to-people relations, among others," DFA added. Worth noting is that the two sides "will also discuss regional security issues of mutual concern," according to DFA, as Beijing continues its aggressive activities in the West Philippine Sea and the South China Sea, which other countries saw as a threat against peace and stability in the region. The visit coincidentally followed Manalo's recent high-level engagements with the officials of the US, China's main rival, in Washington, D.C., wherein Manila and Washington bolstered their military alliance in response of China's aggression in the waters, among other reasons. "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," the DFA said.