HAINAN, China—The ongoing diplomatic skirmishes between Manila and Beijing over the disputed islands in the South China Sea did not stop the Palawan provincial government from warming up relations with China’s southernmost province of Hainan.
Hainan has administrative jurisdiction over the disputed waters, part of which are also being claimed by the Philippines.
Dai Zhen, deputy director-general of the Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Hainan Province, told a delegation of Filipino journalists invited by the China Embassy in Manila to a six-day trip to Guangdong and Hainan provinces that Palawan Gov. Jose Alvarez had entered into a sisterhood agreement with this province during his official visit last March 24.
Dai said the sisterhood aimed to strengthen the bilateral relations between Palawan and Hainan, particularly on promoting and stimulating the economic growth and development of the two local government units in the area of trade and commerce, agriculture, marine fishery, tourism, education and culture and people-to-people friendly exchanges.
The foreign affairs official revealed Alvarez visited Hainan two months ago to sign the sisterhood pact with Hainan government to firm up the solidarity of the two provinces.
“Hainan has established relationship . . . with Palawan only this March this year,” Dai said.
“We sincerely hope that Hainan can conduct cooperation with the Philippines in trade and commerce, agriculture, tourism, education and culture, and people-to-people exchanges.”
“Although Hainan is a young province, we have cumulative experience in developing Hainan, so in this aspect I can say that Hainan and the Philippines can learn from each other,” the foreign affairs official stressed.
During his official visit last March, Alvarez met not only with officials of Hainan, but also with Hainanese businessmen, including Wanmao Wang, the tycoon that developed the Sanya Phoenix Island International Cruise Terminal and Li Bao You of Hainan Modern Agricultural Science and Technology Development Co., Ltd. to explore cooperation in opening up cruising terminal in Palawan as well as agriculture demonstration base, respectively.
Atty. Gil Acosta Jr., Palawan Provincial Information Officer, explained Alvarez trip to Hainan last March was made as a “good gesture of reciprocity” to the visit to Palawan by a Chinese contingent led by Director-General Wang Sheng of the Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Hainan on Feb 13.
Under the sisterhood pact signed in Hainan last March 24, the two provinces commit “to strengthen bilateral relations with emphasis on tourism promotions and development of the local economy.”
According to Acosta, the agreement was “rooted in the guiding principles of the China-Philippines Joint Statement geared on enhancing and developing friendship and cooperation between the two sides and promoting mutual understanding between the peoples of both countries.”
Under the agreement, the two provinces will make determined efforts for accord on the “basis of equality and mutual benefits to promote people-to-people friendly contacts; economic and trade interflow between the two sides; and actively carry out exchanges and cooperation in the fields of tropical agriculture, tourism, marine fishery, and others.
Acosta said Alvarez believed the partnership and cooperation between Palawan and Hainan would complement local initiatives in furthering the marketing of the province as “World’s Best Island Destination.”
Acosta admitted Hainan was interested at opening up a direct flight of its Hainan Airlines to Puerto Princesa, as well as cruise terminal to at least two points in Palawan.
“Aside from tourism, Hainan and Palawan are exploring cooperation in agriculture, including in marine fishery,” he said in a telephone interview.
Hainan is China’s southernmost Island province facing the West Philippine Sea and has claimed territorial jurisdiction over disputed islands in the South China Sea.
The island province, with a population of about 9.17 million in 2016, has a land area of 34,000 square kilometers, the second biggest island in China, next to Taiwan Island.