My trip to China to meet with the regional leaders of ASEAN and China is a step toward securing the peace and security we need. We are in a new era, and we must forge new alliances and new friendships to protect our way of life.

My trip to China is also to celebrate the role ASEAN has played in bringing China into the fold and integrating China into the world economy. China is now a powerhouse and I am proud that ASEAN and the Philippines have played a role in their success.

Our relationship with China will bring not only strengthened regional security, but it will also enhance our economic fortunes. Economic prosperity through new investments and new markets will help build a new, modern, more prosperous Philippines. We can and must continue to lift up our poor and improve our quality of life with good jobs and good wages. International engagement has helped us attain growth; it will continue to do so.

Meeting with ASEAN leaders and China is another strong step toward preparing the Philippines for greater prosperity. Promoting openness, extending cooperation and building friendship is a policy that clearly wins out over perpetuating a closed society, aiding alienation and seeking confrontation. We are on the right track in the region as we build solidarity among neighbors in pursuit of peace and economic development.

I am proud to represent the Philippines at this important moment in history. The Philippines is blessed with the honor of being the Chair of the ASEAN Leaders Summit and the host of the East Asian Leaders meeting, both in Cebu in December. This reflects great pride on the Philippines.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo left this morning for a five-day trip to China on a mission to bolster regional solidarity, ensure the peace and security of the Philippines and promote the welfare of the Filipinos.

In a departure statement, the President said that nothing is more important for the Philippines than peace and prosperity. "My most sacred pledge as President is to keep our nation strong and security and to promote the common welfare."

She pointed out that the first-ever nuclear test conducted by North Korea early this month "reminded us all of the importance of regional solidarity in the face of irrational aggression."

The President said her trip also puts the spotlight on the role played by Asean in integrating China into the global economy. "China is now a powerhouse and I am proud that Asean and the Philippines have played a role in their success."

She said the country’s relations with China will not only strengthen security in the region, but bolster the Philippine economy through new investments and new markets.

"We can and must continue to lift up our poor and improve our quality of life with good jobs and good wages. International engagement has helped us attain growth; it will continue to do so," she added.

The President said her meeting with Asean and Chinese leaders would be a strong step in positioning the Philippines for greater prosperity ahead. "Promoting openness, extending cooperation and building friendship is a policy that clearly wins out over perpetuating a closed society aiding alienation and seeking confrontation.

The Philippines, said added, is on the right track as "we build solidarity among neighbors in pursuit of peace and economic development."

Accompanying the President were First Gentleman Atty. Jose Miguel Arroyo and members of a delegation of top Filipino-Chinese businessmen.

Among those who sent off the President were Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales, Airport General Manager Alfonso Cusi, Armed Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, and Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Calderon.

Before proceeding to the airport, the President and Vice President Noli de Castro formally opened the housing fair for government employees at the Glorietta Mall in Makati City.

During the interaction, the President said she would look for new markets for Philippine products aside from enticing Chinese investors and tourists to take a second look at the Philippines as an investment destination.

The President said she would also try to wrap up negotiations with the Jin Chuan Nickel Corporation, one of the world's biggest mining companies, which has expressed interest in infusing $1 billion to sustain the stalled operation of the Nonoc Nickel Mines in Surigao province.

During her trip, the President will meet with business leaders in Xiamen, the Filipino community in Fujian province, and university students in Nanchang.

In Nanning, the President is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and grace the opening of the 3rd ASEAN-China Exposition.

Speaking at a luncheon hosted for her by the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII) at the Xianglu Hotel here, the President said the "economic, political and cultural collaboration" between ASEAN and China has helped the latter become an economic "powerhouse."

"Speaking as Chairman of ASEAN, I can say that ASEAN takes some amount of pride and satisfaction in helping China become an economic powerhouse as a result of the economic, political and cultural collaboration between ASEAN and China," President Arroyo, who arrived here from Manila this morning, said.

This collaboration, the President added, paved the way for the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement, which has resulted in better cooperation between China and ASEAN amid the competition for investments and trade with Western countries.

"China has surged onto the world stage and ASEAN has surged with it. The change has been profound. ASEAN welcomes the deepening of ties through the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement. This agreement is built on respect, reciprocity and pragmatism. It will help all of our economies grow and strengthen peace and security in the region," the President said.

The Chief Executive, who arrived at 11:48 a.m. at the Xiamen International Airport on board a chartered Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight, was accompanied by First Gentleman Atty. Jose Miguel Arroyo and some members of her Cabinet, including Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, and Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye.

Also accompanying the President are Sen. Manuel "Lito" Lapid, Congressmen Juan Miguel Arroyo and Ignacio Arroyo, 10 other House of Representatives members and some provincial governors and other local executives.

There is also a small business delegation which includes business tycoon Lucio Tan and Francis Chua, president of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FFCCCI).

The traditional Dragon Dance participated in by Chinese performers greeted the President as she descended from the ramp of the plane.

On hand to welcome her were Philippine Embassy officials headed by Ambassador to China Sonia Brady and Chinese officials led by Lu Zhangong , Party Secretary of Fujian Province, and Fujian Governor Huang Xiao Jing.

From the airport, the President and her delegation motored to the Xiamen Mandarin Hotel where she addressed Chinese business leaders whom she invited to invest in the Philippines, particularly in infrastructure, agriculture and the like.

Some 500 Filipinos, who are mostly professionals, welcomed the President upon her arrival at the Mandarin Hotel.

The President informed them of what the government is doing to improve the economic condition of the Philippines and to better the lives of the Filipino people.

The signing of the agreements was part of a luncheon conference hosted by the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII) honoring the Philippine President who is on a five-day official visit to China.

The first MOA, signed with the FFCCCII led by its president Francis Chua and the All China Federation of Industry and Commerce represented by its vice chairman Sun Xiaohua, is aimed at improving bilateral exchanges and encouraging deeper economic cooperation between China and the Philippines as led by their respective enterprises and companies.

The agreement provides the platform upon which all future specific cooperation projects and requests for assistance between the two organizations will be based.

It is envisioned that with this agreement, the business sectors of both countries will be better partners of the governments of China and the Philippines to push forward a mutual agenda of closer bilateral relationships.

The second MOA is between the FFCCCII represented by its Chairman Emeritus, Lucio Tan, and the Fujian Normal University represented by its President Li Tian Ping for the establishment of a Philippine-Chinese Language Institute.

The proposed Philippine-Chinese Language Institute is a non-profit language and cultural institution which will cater to the Filipino professionals and workers in China who want to learn the Chinese language.