Speaker Martin G. Romualdez described as “highly successful” the recent meeting between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the former’s three-day state visit, as they discussed an array of topics that included the maritime claims of both countries, among others.
Romualdez attributed such success to what he described as the “mutual respect” both leaders have for each other and their sincerity as heads of state in discussing the concerns surrounding the claims.
“The President was able to personally convey to President Xi Jinping the concerns of the Filipino: the fishery issues, the maritime claim issues—these very sensitive issues. But it was brought up… in an atmosphere of mutual respect and equality,” Romualdez said upon returning from the China state visit where he was part of the Philippine delegation.
“And that’s why this state visit was so successful because we could see the rapport, the personal exchanges between the two presidents,” he added.
Sincerity, the Speaker said, was very evident in both heads of state and this will “go a long way in addressing all these issues, whether they be contentious or not, moving forward.”
“So this definitely means a lot to the relations with the People’s Republic of China,” Romualdez said.
“While we have some issues that have challenging concerns like our maritime issues, that does not represent the totality, the entirety. We have a vast range of issues and concerns and common interests whether it’s finance, trade, culture, education, and political,” he added.
The President also extended an invitation to Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, First Lady Peng Liyuan, to visit the Philippines, the Speaker said, in a bid to reciprocate the warm welcome received by the entire Marcos delegation’s first state visit to China.
Lawmakers likewise hailed the successful state visit of Mr. Marcos to China, which the Speaker believes would lead to more positive engagements between Manila and Beijing.
“The state visit was highly successful because there were many engagements at different levels,” Romualdez said upon returning to the country on Thursday afternoon.
Among others, the Speaker recalled the President’s interaction with the Chairman of the standing committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC). (See full story online at manilastandard.net)
“So upon the instruction of our President, we shall engage our counterparts at the parliament—at our Senate and Congress level. This provides better coordination and more understanding and better cooperation at that level,” Romualdez said.
“Then we also had a meeting with the Premier, Li Keqiang and followed by a bilateral [meeting] with no less than the President of the People’s Republic of China President Xi Jinping,” he noted.
“These personal engagements mean a lot because the person-to-person meeting lends itself to not only a better rapport but provides better confidence and more understanding of the nuances of the relations,” Romualdez explained.
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte, an ally of the Speaker, commended President Marcos for being able to secure almost $14 billion worth of pledges from renewable energy (RE) investors in his three-day state visit to Beijing (see related story on A4 — Editors).
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Alfredo Pascual reiterated this, saying Chinese RE companies have responded positively towards the Philippines’ policy directions and have conveyed their interest to invest and help the country realize its National Renewable Energy Program (NREP) 2020-2040 goals.
“The energy sector is a vital driver of Philippine industrialization and economic growth. For industries to flourish in our country, we need a secure, resilient, and competitive supply of energy. In the face of climate change and the worldwide shift to green development, the Philippine government finds renewable energy to be a long-term solution to our sustainable development,” he said.
Investments in renewable energy by Chinese companies are in varying stages in the investment pipeline, Pascual added.
Romualdez also shared that even the two First Ladies had “chemistry” between them, much like President Marcos and President Xi Jinping.
“You can see that there was chemistry right from the start,” he said.
Romualdez said the China state visit also opened doors for interparliamentary cooperation and exchanges between the two countries’ congresses.
“The state visit was highly successful because there were many engagements at different levels. For instance, we had our first meeting with the standing Chairman of the National People’s Congress (of China), almost my equivalent,” he said.
“So, their parliamentary system lends itself to these interparliamentary exchanges, which were basically reiterated. So, upon the instruction of our President, we shall engage our counterparts at the Parliament —at our Senate and Congress level,” the Speaker said.
“We have many, many areas of agreement, so we want to further strengthen that by direct engagement at the various levels,” Romualdez added.