09 June 2006

Trade and investment as well as tourism were the main points of Vice President Noli ‘Kabayan’ de Castro’s agenda as he met with officials of Jiangsu province and Shanghai as part of his official visit to the People’s Republic of China.

The Vice President made a courtesy call with the Jiangsu provincial officials on June 7, and with Shanghai officials on June 9 to express the Philippine government’s intention of expanding relations with the different provinces and cities of China.

De Castro sought the assistance of Jiangsu’s and Shanghai’s respective governments to encourage state-owned companies and other enterprises to invest in the Philippines and participate in the RP government’s development efforts.

“For the past decade, trade between our two countries has progressed steadily, but we would like to further increase the Philippines’ share in your foreign trade,” he said.

He pointed out that the Philippine government has undertaken efforts to attract more investments by developing infrastructure, streamlining processes and introducing policy reforms to create a more investment-friendly environment.

In particular, he said the Philippines encourages investments in motor vehicle parts and components, electronics, textile manufacturing and agriculture.

He also cited the Philippine’s “high-quality professional services in information technology, engineering, architectural design and construction management.”

“The Philippines recognizes our countries’ strengths in those areas, and I hope that businessmen from both sides would explore opportunities in the two countries,” he said.

De Castro also conveyed the Philippine government’s desire to strengthen cooperation with China in the areas of information exchange and investment promotion networking through the relevant offices and institutions in the Chinese provinces and cities.

In tourism, the Vice President called for the cooperation of Chinese local officials in promoting the Philippines as a tourist destination.

China has granted the Philippines an Approved Destination Status (ADS) and the Philippine government has undertaken efforts to facilitate visa requirements of Chinese tour groups, and to intensify its tourism campaign in China.

“Maybe our local travel agents can forge ties with their counterparts in Jiangsu and Shanghai to spur tourism traffic between the Philippines and their respective destinations,” De Castro said.

Noting that Shanghai’s sister-city relationship with Manila is “a good vehicle for promoting trade, investment and tourism,” he expressed hope that Jiangsu “will have a sister-province in the Philippines, and that exchanges can be arranged between officials of both sides.”

Ref no. VPMEDIA 06-063