President's Departure Statement |
There is nothing more important for our nation than peace and prosperity. My most sacred pledge as President is to keep our nation strong and secure and to promote the common welfare. The recent nuclear test in North Korea reminded us all of the importance of regional solidarity in the face of irrational aggression. 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. It is with pride that I depart for China to represent 85 million hardworking Filipinos. I look forward to a fruitful trip and, as always, I look forward to my return. |
| PGMA's Speech
during a Meeting with the Filipino Community Mandarin Hotel, Xiamen City, Fujian, PROC October 27, 2006 |
| Maraming salamat, Secretary Reyes, sundalo ka
talaga. Pero nandito si Secretary Reyes hindi bilang sundalo, siya ang ating Secretary of
Environment and Natural Resources, at marami tayong pangangalakal at investments mula sa
Tsina doon sa ating mga minahan. Tatlo silang Cabinet member na kasama ko ngayon. Nandito
rin si Secretary Arty Yap ng Agriculture, at nandito rin si Secretary Toting Bbunye, ang
ating Press Secretary. Malaki ang ating delegasyon ng Pilipinas dito sa pagbisita sa Fujian, homeland ng mga maraming Filipino-Chinese, kaya papakilala ko sila sa inyong lahat. Kilalang-kilala ninyo ang dating gobernador ng Pampanga, ngayon, siya ay senador natin, si Lito Lapid. Ang ating mga congressmen naman mula sa Palawan, si Tony Alvarez; mula sa Negros Occidental, ang aking bayaw, si Ignacio Arroyo; mula sa Pampanga, ang aking anak, si Mikey Arroyo; mula sa Laguna, si Dan Bueser; ang ating Deputy Majority Floor Leader at siya ay mula sa Iloilo, si Art Defensor; nandito rin mula sa Lanao Del Sur, si Jun Macarambon; mula sa Sultan Kudarat, si Teng Mangudadatu; mula sa Isabela, si Anthony Miranda; mula sa Bulacan, si Pedro Pancho; mula sa Negros... Bacolod City, I mean, si Monico Puentevella; mula sa Pangasinan, si Gener Tulagan; at mula sa Mindoro Occidental, si Girlie Villarosa. Meron bang congressperson na hindi ko nabanggit? Kasi madalas pag malaki ang delegasyon may nakaliligtaan. Marami rin tayong mga gobernador at city mayors na narito ngayon: mula sa Bohol, si Governor Rico Aumentado, siya rin ang pangulo ng Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines; mula sa Eastern Samar, si Ben Evardone; mula sa Cebu, si Gwen Garcia; mula sa Laguna, si Ningning Lazaro; mula sa Zambales, si Vic Magsaysay; mula sa Agusan Del Sur, si Eddie Bong Plaza. Ano, hindi nakasama si Leo Ocampos? Okay. Pero he knew, he knew that he was invited. Okay. Anyway, mga city mayors naman natin mula sa Valenzuela, si Win Gatchalian; mula sa Butuan, si Boy Plaza; mula sa San Carlos City, si Jolly Resuello, ayun!; At saka mula sa Calbayog, si Mel Sarmiento. Yan ang ating mga elective officials na kasama natin dito sa ating delegasyon. At siyempre ang ating mga 'Cream of the Crop' ng Filipino-Chinese business community ay taga-Fujian kaya ang laki ng ating business delegation. May ilan na nandito, ilan lang ang nakapasok kasi kung isasama natin ang buong Pilipino... Ang buong business delegation wala ng lugar para sa ating overseas Filipinos dito, andami-dami nila. Anyway, can we have the Filipino-Chinese and the Filipino business community stand up to be acknowledged -- at least those who were able to enter the room because there are so many of them. At siyempre gusto rin nating batiin ang ating mga official ninyo dito sa China, ang ating Ambassador, si Ambassador Sonia Brady, at ang bago nating Consul General, not yet one year old here, si Consul General Lee Pineda. Nandito rin si Undersecretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs, si Frank Benedicto, of Chinese descent din. At alam niyo dahil napakalaki ang China, biro niyo naman one-fourth of the world ang China di dapat one-fourth of our personnel dapat nandito yung mga foreign service natin. Pero siyempre hindi naman pwede yon, so nag-appoint tayo ng ilang mga honorary special envoys para tumulong sa ating trabaho dito. At sa nakita ko nakapasok dito sa kuwartong ito, nakita ko si Fred Yao, isa sa ating mga special envoy para magpalawak ng ating pangangalakal dito sa Tsina. Ako'y narito dahil una sa lahat merong importanteng pinagdidiriwang doon sa Nanning sa mga darating na araw. All of the ASEAN leaders are traveling to China to celebrate a very important -- ayun! Tagbilaran City Mayor Danny Lim. Thank you -- a very important milestone for ASEAN, the region and the world -- that is the 15 years of ASEAN-China collaboration. At malaking karangalan para sa Pilipinas dahil Pilipinas ang co-chair kasama ng China dito sa Commemorative Summit ng ating napakaimportanteng anibersaryo. Ngunit sa pagkakataong ito, tiniyak ko na magkaron ng pagkakataon makipagkita at makipagbalitaan sa ating mga overseas Filipinos. Kasi tuwing pumupunta ako sa mga opisyal na paglalakbay sa ibayong dagat lagi akong nagagalak na makapiling ang ating mga kababayan. Doon sa Saudi siyempre one-and-a-half million sila. Dito, kayo ay mga 500 pero ganunpaman gusto kong makipagsama-sama sa inyo itong araw na ito. Salamat at narito kayo kahit na oras ng trabaho. Salamat doon sa mga nagbiyahe ng tatlong oras. Thank you very much for coming here. Kumusta na ba kayo dito sa Xiamen, sa Fujian, sa China? Very good. Ating mga Capampangan queti? Uy, kumusta qongan? Adda kakailyak ti bangir ni mamang ko, ilocano naimbag a malem yo amin, apo. Dunay Bisaya? Maayong hapon kaninyong tanan. Gikan sa bisayas ug Mindanao, may ara ba kasimanwa sa akong bana nga Ilonggo? Maayong hapon sa inyo nga tanan. At meron ba tayong mga Bicolano dito? Wala. Ayun! Isa. Marhay nga hapon. At meron ba tayong mga waray kagaya ni Mel at saka ni Ben Evardone dito? Wala. Walang waray. Ayun! May isa. Papano yon? Maupay nga kulop. Dito sa Xiamen at sa kanyang mga paligid na lugar, ako'y nasisiyahan na kahit na kayo ay konti lamang, limang daan lamang, you're actually very, very highly regarded by the people of China -- meron pang bago. Ha! Another one, si Aro Mendoza of Tarlac City. Ayun, okay -- kasi the few Filipinos who are here gaya nang sabi ni Consul General are engaged in professional or technical work. Kaya ang ganda-ganda ng inyong kalagayan dito. I'm very proud of the status and reputation of Filipinos in this part of China. Congratulations sa inyong lahat! Sabi nga ni Consul General Pineda, the spirit of the Filipino is everywhere, talaga naman. And I see the spirit of Filipino... Of the enterprising Filipino everywhere I go. Aba! May SM pa kayo nga rito, di ba? Nagsho-shopping rin ba kayo sa SM? Very good. Di ba sabi nga ni Tessie sy sa akin, sana makita ko yon dahil parang mga malls na nasa Pilipinas. Di parang pag nandoon kayo sa SM parang nasa Pilipinas na rin kayo. And there's even a Rizal Shrine in Jinjiang that we will visit tomorrow. Maraming monumentong nagbibigay parangal kay Jose Rizal. Meron sa espaņa, meron pa kaming nakita sa Cuba. Pwedeng matagpuan ang estatwa ni Rrizal sa iba't-ibang panig ng mundo, pero sa tingin ko ang monumentong dito sa China, sa Fujian ay isa sa pinaka katangi-tangi, makahulugan sapagkat, itinayo ito sa lugar na tinataya ng mga dalubhasa na pinanggalingan ng ninuno ni Rizal na si Ke Nan. Kaya yon ang kanyang hometown. The Chinese roots of our national hero underscore the racial and blood ties that Filipinos have with the Chinese especially from this area of Southern China. Kaya kanina tinitignan ko yung mga iba dito, yung iba very obviously kayo ay mga professionals na narito, pero yung iba mga Filipino-Chinese. Gusto ko magpasalamat sa ating Filipino community, yung mga nag- contribute ng Gawad Kalinga, ito ay mga pabahay para sa ating mga mahihirap. Isang pabahay ay 50 or 60,000 pesos lamang, so mga 1,000 dollars. Kaya gusto kong magpasalamat, unang-una, in behalf of the Philippine community yung inyong pangulo, si Engineer Go. Ay, hindi, hindi, si Celso Halap. Maraming salamat, Celso. At saka si Engineer at Mrs. Go, yung may-ari ng international school. Pati na rin si Sotero Baluyot-Lee. Alam niyo tinanong ko sa kanya, ano kayo ni Sotero Baluyot? Sabi niya ninong niya. Dahilan kung bakit tinanong ko kung sino si Sotero Baluyot, yan ay dating Secretary of Public Works. Siya yung ninong ko nung ako'y bininyagan, kaya tayo magkakapatid. Anyway, bagamat tatlumpu't isang taon lamang ang tanda ng pormal na pagkakaibigan ng Pilipinas at Tsina, mabibilang sa libong taon ang itinagal ng pakikipag-kaibigan at palitan ng kalakal ng mga Pilipino at Tsino. At ngayon, lalo na itong nakaraang limang taon, higit pang lumalaki ang ating ugnayan sapagkat ang Pilipinas at Tsina ay tumatahak sa isang yugto ng relasyon na tinatawag ni President Hu Jintao "The Golden Age of Partnership." At kayong mga Pilipino na narito bahagi kayo dito sa partnership na ito. Relations between China and the Philippines are at an all-time high. They are based on mutual respect. Siguro naman nahahalata ninyo ang respeto ng mga Chinese para sa inyo, di ba mga Pilipinong narito? Our nation's relationship with China is among the most important ties of our country. Philippine relations with China are now more confident, mature, comprehensive, punctuated with substantial and important projects aimed at deepening exchanges in a number of areas, including economics, trade and investment, and even defense, and even people-to-people exchange. Nandito nga ang ating mga dalubhasang professional kagaya ninyo at nandoon din sila sa iba't-ibang bahagi ng Tsina. Naalala ko nung nagbisita ako sa Tsina nung September 2004 at si President Hu Jintao naman ay nagbisita ng manila nung April ng 2005. Kasi last year ito ang 30th year ng ating anibersaryo ng ating relations kaya nagbisita si Hu Jintao doon. At ano ang mensahe ng pagbisita ko dito sa Beijing noon at yung bisita niya doon sa Manila? Ang mensahe ay: "To underscore the growing maturity of our relationship and the commitment our two countries share to strengthen our ties." Yung Pilipinas at saka yung Tsina ay gumawa ng kasunduan, tawag dito ay Early Harvest Program. Sa pamamagitan ng MOU or Memorandum of Understanding na pinirmahan nung nagbisita si President Hu sa Manila. Ibig sabihin nito mga dalawandaang produkto ng pangangalakal sa isa't-isa ay pwedeng pumasok sa isa't-isang bansa na walang tariff or duty. At dahil dito ay malaking-malaki ang ating pangangalakal. Mabilis ang paglaki ng pangangalakal ng China sa buong Southeast Asia pero sa buong Southeast Asia pinakamabilis lumaki ang kanyang pangangalakal sa Pilipinas. Kaya espesyal na espesyal ang ating relasyon. Nandito nga si Arty Yap, ang Secretary of Agriculture, isang dahilan ay dahil napakalawak ang pangangalakal ng agrikultura sa pamamagitan ng Pilipinas at China. At ito ay lumawak pa nung nagkaron nga tayo nitong Memorandum of Understanding kasama ng China nung 2005. Agricultural trade increased with the conclusion of the Philippine-China Memorandum of Understanding. Doon naman sa Ppilipinas ang nandito ito ang Fujian, malaki tayong pangangalakal sa electronics. Nagbebenta tayo ng electronics sa kanila, nagbebenta rin sila ng electronics sa atin. Kasi ang electronics hindi... The way that it's happening in the world today ay hindi ang isang piyesa lahat gawa sa isang bansa. May isang piyesang gawa doon, papadala dito para mafabricate. May isang pyesa pagawa dito, papadala doon para mabuo. At ang kabutihan ng ating pangangalakal sa Tsina ay nagkaroon tayo ng isang malaking-malaking market para sa ating electronics industry. Kasi electronics industry sa Pilipinas ay number one sa exports. Noong araw lahat ng ating exports halos ng electronics -- hindi naman lahat, pero malaki -- ay pumupunta sa America. Pero naalala ko nung 2001, nung bagong pangulo pa lang ako, humina ang electronics industry ng America. Sabi ko, naku! Patay, yan ang laki ng... Number one export natin, 70 percent ng exports ng Pilipinas ay electronics. Bagong pangulo pa naman ako babagsak ang ating exports, babagsak ang ating ekonomiya, baka akala nila ako ang malas. Pero hindi nangyari yon kasi habang humina yung American market lumakas naman yung China market. At sa mga panahon ngayon -- kasi yung America humina tapos they have to spread their risks, nagpunta sila outside Southeast Asia pati sa India -- but in the meantime the Philippines found another huge customer with China. Kaya yung mga electronics firm sa Pilipinas nakapagbenta dito sa China. So kahit na mahirap ang panahon noon sa America nakapagbenta pa rin dito sa China mahihirap na taon. And as I said, between Fujian and the Philippines mutually ang number one trading, trading product natin ay electronics. So the top exports between China and the Philippines comprise semi-conductor devices, machinery parts and accessories, electrical and electronic machinery, and electronic micro assemblies. Ewan ko kung merong mga Ppilipino dito na nandoon sa industriyang yon. Approximately one-third of total electronic exports are skewed towards the Chinese market. Pero kung pag-uusapan natin yung buong trade between China and the Philippines, 42 percent taun-taon ang linalaki mula nung 2001. Kaya ngayon ang China number three na sa ating mga trading partners, kasunod lamang ang U.S. at saka Japan. Halimbawa, yung mga Capampangan dito -- meron bang mga Capampangan... Ah, yeah, ating Capampangan. Ano meron bang mga taga-Tarlac diyan, mga taga-Subic? Yun! Okay -- pag-uwi niyo siguro, kung uuwi ka ng mga 2009, ay mabilis ang biyahe mula Manila hanggang Clark-Subic kasi meron tayong mabilis na tren na makakapunta na doon. Kakaumpisa lang ng construction nung isang linggo kaya matatapos sa 2009. Kaya pag kayo'y umuwi, bisitahin ang mga kamag-anak ninyo, kasi sasakay kayo sa Philippine Airlines malamang maglalanding Xiamen to Manila yon. Sasakay kayo ng tren patungong Clark-Subic, mabilis ang biyahe, tandaan niyo eto ay dahil sa pagkakaibigan ng inyong host country at Pilipinas dahil ito ay pinondohan ng tsina para sa Pilipinas. And we are delighted with the financing of our Northrail project. Gusto ko ipabalita sa inyo na ang isang malaking preyoridad ng ating bansa ngayon ay imprastruktura kasi sa mahabang panahon -- palagay ko baka wala na kayo dito noon o baka nandoon pa kayo -- sa habang panahon hindi tayo makapagpondo ng ating sariling imprastruktura na hindi umuutang. Kasi noon ang budget natin 900 billion pesos, ang taxes 700 billion. Sa 700 billion, 350 billion pumupunta sa pagbayad ng interes sa malaking utang natin; 250 billion pumupunta sa sweldo ng ating mga manggagawa sa gobyerno; 150 billion pumunta sa share ng local government, eh di 700 billion na yon. Wala nang maiiwan sa imprastruktura, wala nang maiiwan sa edukasyon, sa social services, sa kalusugan. So saan natin kinukuha yon? Umuutang tayo. Yon na nga yung difference between spending and taxes, the 200 billion pesos. Yon parati yon ang ating deficit nuon. Pero ako'y nagpapasalamat kay Lito, yung senador natin, yung ating mga congressmen dahil pinasa nila yung mga tax reforms natin. Ngayon ay patungo na tayo sa balance budget, hindi na tayo kailangan parating umaasa sa utang para sa imprastruktura at social services. Meron tayong layunin na maka-balance tayo ng budget natin ng 2010, pero gaya nang sabi ko bago nung reforms ang deficit natin 200 billion. Ang deficit natin nitong taong ito ay between 100 and 120 billion, nahati in one year after your tax reforms, senator and congressmen, kaya sabi ng aking mga economic managers baka kahit na sinasabi ko na dapat magbalance budget tayo ng 2010 makakaya natin ito by 2008. At hindi lamang mababalance natin ang budget, pwede na tayong gumastos sa mga imprastruktura na matagal nang hindi natin mapaggastusan kung hindi tayo nakakautang. Infrastructure development is crucial to our economic development plan for the nation. Siguro kayong mga nakatira sa Xiamen -- ewan ko kung gaano katagal na kayo rito. Mga batang-bata pa kayo, baka 20 years ago sigurado wala pa kayo rito -- 20 years ago, mahirap lamang ang Xiamen pero nakagastos sila sa kanilang imprastruktura. Ngayon, ang ganda- ganda ng Xiamen, ang yaman-yaman, nakakapagbigay ng magagandang trabaho sa inyo. Yon din ang kailangan gawin natin sa ating bansa -- gumastos sa imprastruktura para pupunta doon ang mga namumuhunan. At itong... Yung proyekto ng northrail bilang halimbawa lang kung gaano kalaki ang tulong ng Tsina sa atin, ang northrail na yon na magpapabilis ng biyahe mula sa manila hanggang sa Clark-Subic ay nagkakahalaga ng siyam na raang milyong dolyar, 900 million dollars. Maluwag na pautang mula sa China, napakahalaga ito kapag natayo na ang linya ng tren na ito, mas mapapadali ang biyahe sa probinsya patungo sa Clark-Subic. At marami ring suporta ang Tsina sa ating agrikultura -- ayun! Si Dr. Undan na doon sa Central Luzon State University ng Nueva Ecija -- yan malaking tulong ng China sa kaniya. We are happy to know china's support for the Philippines in the field of agriculture. Doon sa lugar ni Dr. Undan merong magandang Philippine-Sino Agricultural Center or Center for Agricultural Technology na mukhang Ming Palace, ang ganda-ganda. Yon ay simbolo ng pagtulong ng China sa ating agrikultura. Kaya narito si Arty Yap, malaki ang ating kooperasyon ng agrikultura sa Ysina. At lahat nito ay ginagawa ko para lang magkaroon ng maraming trabaho ang ating mga mamamayang Pilipino. Ang taimtim na minimithi ng ating administrasyon ay maibangon ang Pilipinas upang isang matatag na republika ang manahin ng ating mga anak at ating mga apo. I'm very happy for you here that you are earning well here in China. But I long for the day when going abroad for a job is an option and not the only choice for a Filipino worker. Kaya bagamat kayo ay nandito sa China ang aking hinihingi sa inyo sana patuloy ninyo ang inyong suporta upang makamit natin ang ating mga plano para sa Pilipinas. Muli, maraming salamat sa inyong pagdalo. Thank you very much. I am so happy to meet the Filipino community of Southern China. Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat. |
| PGMA's
Speech during a Luncheon Meeting with Fujian Business
Leaders Mandarin Hotel, Xiamen, Fujian, PROC October 27, 2006 |
| Thank you very much, Madame Undersecretary of Trade
and Industry. Honorable Llu Zhangong, Party Secretary of Ffujian, thank you so much for your warm welcome and your great hospitality; Governor Huang Xiao Jing and the other officials of Fujian and Xiamen and the other members of the business community and party leaders; members of the Philippine delegation; leaders of the business community both from the Philippines and Fujian province especially the leaders of the Federation of the Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce who are hosting this luncheon today. Thank you very much for putting together this wonderful luncheon. To all of you, good afternoon. I'm deeply honored to be visiting China once again. I cannot remember how many times I have been to China since I was a young lady, co-chair of the Philippines-China Friendship Association working for the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and China. Now this time, it is an honor for me to be here again especially because I will be co-chairing with Premier Wen Jiabao the Commemorative Summit to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of ASEAN -China Partnership. All of the ASEAN leaders are travelling to China to celebrate this very important milestone, important for ASEAN, important for the region, important for the world. Open dialogue and trust between peoples and nations have never been more important than in today's world. 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. 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 our economies grow and strengthen peace and security in the region. So it gives me great pleasure to declare to you today that relations between ASEAN and China have never been better or stronger. This is an important state of affairs that can only help the region and the world. I am also proud of the role that the Philippines is playing in the integration of China into our region. As I made this trip to your great country, I welcome this opportunity to communicate with the people of China in order to help forge stronger ties between China and the Philippines. Relations between China and the Philippines are at an all-time high and are based on mutual respect. A golden age, in the words of President Hu Jintao when he said this to me in Chile in 2004. I visited China on a state visit in September 2004 and President Hu visited Manila on a state visit in 2005. These respective visits underscore the growing maturity of our relationship and the commitment we both share to strengthen our ties. Our nation's relationship with China is among the most important ties of our country. Relations with China are now more confident, mature and comprehensive punctuated with substantial and important projects aimed at deepening exchanges in a number of areas, including economics, trade and investment, and even defense and security. From 2001 to 2005, trade with China grew at an annual rate of 42 percent. And during President Hu's visit to Manila, the Philippines and China formalized an agreement for the early harvest program through an MOU signed on April 27 of 2005. This early harvest agreement includes 214 tariff lines or product lines for immediate tariff elimination. The Philippines electronics industry gained access to a new market because of our friendship with China. As the demand for electronics slowed down in the United States and U.S. manufacturing firms outsourced to other countries than Southeast Asia like India, the Philippines found another huge customer with China. And today, China is the biggest electronics market of the Philippines. Philippine electronics firms were able to boost their export performance during difficult years. The top exports between China and the Philippines comprise semiconductor devices, machinery parts and accessories, electrical and electronic machinery, and electronic micro assemblies. Approximately one-third of total electronics exports of the Philippines are skewed towards the Chinese market. China is now our number three trading partner all in all. Bilateral trade between the Philippines and China amounted to almost 17 billion dollars in 2005. And we are delighted with the financing of our north rail project, the train that will bring our people faster from Manila to Clark, one of our major industrial areas, my home province and the home province of our Senator Lapid who is here in our delegation. This is one of the most important projects in our infrastructure development which is crucial to our economic development plan for the nation. We are also happy to note China's support for the Philippines in the field of agriculture, especially with the establishment of the Philippine-Sino Center for Agricultural Technology in Nueva Ecija. When I first visited this Filipino-China Agricultural Technology Center, I thought I was entering a Ming Palace. But I should not say only on the Philippines and China, I should think especially of the Philippines and Fujian. The people of Fujian and the Filipinos as we have heard from our previous speakers share a special relationship. This relationship goes back many years to when the first generations of Fujianese emigrated to the Philippines in search of green pastures in an open and hospitable land. Today, the Filipino-Chinese business community -- represented here by so many Chinese businessmen both members and not members of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and industries -- the many individual members of my delegation is an important integral part of the Philippine economy. Dr. Francis Chua mentioned to all that my husband, Attorney Mike Arroyo, Mike Tuason Arroyo is a descendant of a Chinese from Fujian, from Xiamen in fact, His name was Son Tua and later on after several generations the Son Ttua became Tuason. That is the family name of my mother-in-law. I am happy to be a great granddaughter of Fujian and Xiamen. And here in Fujian province, especially in Xiamen, several of Philippines' Taipans have returned and invested in prominent businesses and facilities. We even have an SM mall here in Xiamen in Fujian. And Dr. Lucio Tan has a bank in Xiamen and I... And I saw Mr. Jon Ng somewhere and I said, "Jon, don't you have any investment in Xiamen, too?" Yes, he has a beautiful building also here in Xiamen. Those are only a few examples of Filipino-Chinese Taipans who have invested here in Xiamen and in Fujian. Tomorrow, we shall be going to Jinjiang, where we will visit the shrine of our national hero Jose Rizal. Yes, another descendant of Chinese from Fujian province. The monument of Jose Rizal is literally a monument to our close ties and friendship. Both the Philippines and China, especially Fujian, should push to further deepen existing cooperation between the two countries. We hope that agricultural trade between the Philippines and China especially Fujian would increase because we have the Philippine-China Memorandum of Understanding on the early harvest program. Already I understand Philippine bananas are number one in China. Philippine pineapples are number one in China. I hope more and more from Fujian will buy our Philippine fruits and other agricultural products. And most importantly, as our Filipino-Chinese have looked at Fujian province as an area of destination, China and especially Fujian should look at the Philippines as a destination for greater investment. Francis Chua mentioned some of them -- mining. There is a very big demand for minerals in China -- copper, nickel and other minerals. And I understand especially here in Fujian. Infrastructure. I already mentioned the railroad to the north, to my province which is a very industrial area. We are also looking forward to China's financing our railroad to the south all the way to what we call the Bicol peninsula. Agriculture and fisheries, and housing. I hope that we will be able to conclude agreements -- not this time but when premier visits the Philippines in December -- on housing assistance from the People's Republic of China. I encourage Chinese firms to plan relocation of the assembly of agricultural machinery to the Philippines. The Philippines buys a lot of agricultural machinery from China and sometimes we need to have parts to service this machinery. It would all be so much simpler if the machines are assembled right there in the Philippines. I would also like to invite Chinese fishing firms to participate actively in the Philippine-China fisheries cooperation activities under the bilateral memorandum of understanding on fisheries cooperation which we signed during my state visit to Beijing in 2004. And the Philippines is the perfect regional partner to aid as a logistics partner and provider of high-value, high-skilled labor. As Francis said, "That is our best resource of all -- our world class Filipino workers." And so, let me conclude by saying, that we look forward to the day when China and especially Fujian -- the home of many of our families in the Philippines. The homeland of many of our families in the Philippines -- when China and Fujian substantially raise the level of investments in the Philippines. I hope to see the day that indeed the Philippines will be part of the Golden Triangle of Party Secretary Lu Zhangong -- the Golden Triangle of Fujian, Taiwan and the Philippines. Maraming salamat sa inyo. |
| PGMA's
Speech before the Students of Nanchang University Auditorium, Nanchang University, Nanchang City, Jiangxi, PROC October 28, 2006 |
| Thank you very much for your very warm welcome. Ni
hao. Mr. President of Nanchang University; Mr. Huang, Governor of Jiangxi; officials of the Philippine government who are with me today; officials of the communist party of the Philippines here in Jiangxi; students and teachers of this great and beautiful university, Nanchang University, good afternoon to all of you. I am so happy to be here this afternoon. You know, many years ago before I entered politics, I was a professor of economics. And it was my pleasure to be always with young college students like you. But that was about... Oh, maybe that was 1987 or so, I stopped teaching, I joined the government and it's a great opportunity for me to be here once again to be speaking with young people. I like speaking with young people because it keeps me young. Thank you for this opportunity to speak with you. I've been to China many times but this is my first time here in Nanchang. And it really gives me great pleasure to have a chance to be here to visit different parts of China because as a young professor many years ago, I became co-chairman of the Association for Philippines-China Understanding and we worked for the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Philippines. And I am so happy that today our relations are at an all-time high. When we were in Chile together for the APEC Summit, President Hu Jintao described our relationship as having entered a golden age. In 2004, I made a state visit to Beijing. It was my second state visit because I had made one in 2001. And in 2005, President Hu Jintao also made a state visit to Manila. That was the 30th year of our diplomatic relations. During the period that China joined the world as a market economy, it has benefited the Philippines very much and our bilateral relationship. Our trade amounted to seven billion dollars last year. China is the third largest market of the Philippines. And our investments, hopefully with my continuing visits here will also increase between our two countries. But what can I say is that I am very proud of our Filipino-Chinese living in the Philippines. They are among our largest businessmen in the Philippines. They provide us with wealth but they also loved China and they also invest here in China. In fact here in Jiangxi province, we have a big investment from a Filipino-Chinese, Mr. Carlos Chan, and he's right here, somewhere here. He produces food snacks. So maybe sometimes when you're having your snack between your classes, maybe you are eating the products of Mr. Carlos Chan, the Filipino-Chinese who is here in Jiangxi. But today, I would like to speak with you more not only about Philippine-China relations but more about ASEAN-China relations. The reason why I have chosen this topic is that it is the occasion of my visit to China this year. I am deeply honored to co-chair with Premier Wen Jiabao the Commemorative Summit in Nanning to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the ASEAN-China Partnership. It is important to commemorate special anniversaries like 15 years of partnership with open dialogue and trust between peoples and nations. This manner of keeping our relationship has never been more important than in today's world. We are a globalized world which should always be speaking with one another. I am not the only ASEAN leader who is coming here. All of the ASEAN leaders are in China to celebrate this very important milestone for China, for the region and the world -- the 15 years of ASEAN-China collaboration. President Yudhoyono of Indonesia will be here, the head of the 4th largest country in the world. Of course behind China, the largest country in the world of all. Prime Minister Badawi of Malaysia will be here. The new Prime Minister of Thailand, Surayud, will be here. The Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong will also be here. The Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Bolkiah, will also be here, I mean in Nanning. And so with all the other leaders of Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, all of us to celebrate with China our 15 years of deep friendship. And I am very honored that the Philippines is the co-chair with China because we are the co-chair of ASEAN this year. And that's why I take this opportunity to speak as chairman of ASEAN, and speaking as chairman of ASEAN, what I would like to say is that for one thing ASEAN takes some amount of pride and satisfaction in helping China become an economic powerhouse as a result of economic, political and cultural collaboration between ASEAN and China. China started its very rapid development 20 years ago. And 15 years ago, it was the first country to become a dialogue partner of ASEAN. During the Commemorative Summit, we will be celebrating 15 years of substantive and fruitful relations between ASEAN and China. Further, we will assess current ASEAN -China dialogue relations and set out the direction for the next 15 years when you, the young students of Nanchang will be the leaders of Chinese society and economy. China has surged onto the world stage. I'm sure you know that and you feel that especially your parents feel it. ASEAN has also surged with China. The change has been profound. ASEAN welcomes the deepening of ties through the ASEAN -China free trade agreement. This is an agreement between ASEAN and China that is built on respect, reciprocity and pragmatism. It will help all of our economies grow and strengthen peace and security in the region. This ASEAN -China free trade area enables both parties to reduce and eliminate the tariffs for a range of products, and this reduction or elimination of tariff duties will have a positive effect. The free trade area will have a positive effect on the development of China because the ASEAN region represents a market of over half a billion people for Chinese exports and a supplier of much-needed resources. In turn, it will also have a positive effect on the development of ASEAN countries because ASEAN countries can reduce our dependence on western markets such as the U.S. and Europe for our exports. The ASEAN -China partnership remains one of the most dynamic and progressive in the East Asian region. When China and ASEAN first began relations 15 years ago in 1991, the focus was on cooperation in economic and trade relations. Over the past 15 years, this relationship has evolved. It is no longer just economic and trade, it now includes cooperation on political security, development and other regional issues. So it gives me great pleasure to come today to speak to the young people of Nanchang and say that relations between ASEAN and China have never been better or stronger. This is an important state of affairs that can only help the region and the world. As I said earlier, we will be co-chairing, the Philippines will be co-chairing with China the Commemorative Summit. This is because we are the chair of the upcoming ASEAN leaders meeting as well as the host of the East Asia Summit. The East Asia Summit is a dialogue among ASEAN, China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand. We had the first East Asian Summit in Kuala Lumpur last year. And last year, both the ASEAN leaders... The ASEAN, incidentally, the East Asian Summit and the ASEAN Leaders' Meeting will take place in the beautiful Philippine Island of Cebu this december. I mentioned that because the governor of Cebu is here. Please give her a warm welcome also. Doesn't she look like a student from Nanchang University? Anyway, I take great pride in representing the nation and the region at these upcoming gatherings. Now to go back to what I was saying earlier about holding the very first East Asian Summit that was last year, that was in Kuala Lumpur, that was in December of 2005, and at that time in that summit -- it was the very first East Asian Summit -- we talked about what is East Asia? What is the East Asian Summit? What is the East Asian community? And we agreed that the East Asian community is a long-term goal that would contribute to regional peace, security, prosperity and progress in the region. We also agreed that the East Asian Summit with ASEAN as the driving force because it was born out of ASEAN meetings with dialogue partners is an integral part of the overall evolving architecture of this region, the East Asian region. Right now composed as I said of ASEAN, China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand. The East Asia Summit leaders in Kuala Lumpur last year agreed that the East Asia Summit, together with the ASEAN + China, Japan and Korea dialogue, the ASEAN + China, the ASEAN + Japan and ASEAN + Korea would play significant roles in community building in East Asia. There have been so many dialogues between ASEAN and other partners since 1991. But the very first one was China -- that's the ASEAN + China dialogue. Later on, we developed the ASEAN + Japan dialogue. We developed the ASEAN + Korea dialogue. And because these are our three neighbors to the north, we developed the ASEAN + 3 dialogue where ASEAN dialogues together with Japan, Korea and China all in one table. And then later on, Australia and New Zealand joined us, and then India joined us, so it became bigger and bigger. So this is what now we call East Asia, and the dialogue of all of us together is called the East Asian Summit. So because all of this started from ASEAN, dialoguing with other partners, other friends and all of this started in 1991, 15 years ago, because we signed a treaty of dialogue with China, both ASEAN and China have important roles to play. Singly, ASEAN has a role to play. China has a role to play. Jointly, ASEAN + China as a dialogue partners have a role to play. And in conjunction with the other members of the East Asian Summit because now on its second year, the East Asian Summit is becoming a strategic forum for the East Asian region. Sometimes I am asked, "You're friend with China, and then you're friends with India, and then you're friends with Japan. Is there no conflict in these relationships?" Of course not. China sees no conflict in its relations with... Ah, no. ASEAN sees no conflict in its relationship with China vis-a-vis ASEAN relations with Japan and India. Why are we asked whether there's a conflict? I supposed it's because Japan and India are the other two economic powerhouses of Asia aside from China. After all, in the same manner as ASEAN's relations with China, ASEAN's dialogue relations with Japan and India are treated with respect, pragmatism, and reciprocity. ASEAN places great emphasis on the unique value of each dialogue partner. Well, I have tried to explain to you where we are now from the first time that China became a dialogue partner of ASEAN. Other countries started to join us and now we have become one big East Asia community. Yet what is most important is not what has transpired between ASEAN and China or even between the Philippines and China for that matter. What is important is what happens next. What will our relationship look like 15 years from today when you, the students, who are sitting in the second half of this auditorium will be sitting on the front row because you will be the leaders of China? Will our economies have improved? Will there be less poverty and more prosperity? Will the world be safer and more secure? These are the issues that we must focus our attention on. These are the issues that will be the subject of our meetings in Nanning and later on in the Philippines as we forge a vision of what the future will be like for the next generation, your generation. All of these will be the subject of our upcoming meeting. And at the end of the meeting, we will probably issue a declaration on what our vision will be like. Let me share with you some of my own thoughts about what I would tell our other colleagues in ASEAN and in China about the future: going forward, we shall continue to strengthen ASEAN -China partnership. How? For one thing, by promoting confidence-building measures. For example, there had been long conflicts, long-term conflicts between different countries claiming different or overlapping parts of the South China Sea. There is a claim by China, there is a claim by the Philippines, there is a claim by Vietnam, other countries. But what we have done in ASEAN + China, we have turned that area of possible conflict into an area of cooperation instead because China and the Philippines agreed that instead of fighting all the time over that sea, we will conduct joint research, seismic research in the South China Sea. At first Vietnam objected because they also have a claim. But we were able to convince them to join us. So now we have been able to conclude a joint seismic research: China, the Philippines and Vietnam in the South China Sea. And we should go forward now, now that the seismic research has been done and the findings are being collated if warranted, we should consider having joint exploration in the South China Sea. Another way by which we can strengthen and deepen the relationship between ASEAN and China is to intensify interactions, for example, more trade. The China trade with ASEAN has grown tremendously since China joined the WTO. But I am very proud that among China's trade with all the countries of ASEAN, the fastest growing trade is China's trade with the Philippines. And let's continue to do that. For instance, we have a lot of trade with China, Philippines and China. But I was looking at the statistics, a lot of our trade is with Guandong, Guanzhou, not enough with Nanchang, not enough with Jiangxi. So, my visit here I hope will be a catalyst so that we will talk more with one another and trade more with one another -- your province and our country. Tourism is another very important way by which we can intensify our relationship. China, you, the young people, I understand, have become very curious about the rest of the world, because China has become very rich over the past 20 years. Twenty years before or 25 years before, the Chinese hardly travelled outside of China. But now you are so curious about the world, and we the rest of the world are also very frequent visitors to China because you have so much history and you have so much beauty. I hope that we will be able to intensify tourism. In the Philippines, for instance, the number of tourists that went to China in 20... No, no. The number of Chinese tourists that went to the Philippines in 2005 is almost three times the number of 2004, very rapid increase. But a very, very small percentage compared to China's tourists going to the rest of the world, just a hundred thousand but from 30,000 the year before. Maybe this year, hopefully we can have 300,000. We would like to have more and more of people-to-people exchange. Filipinos very frequently come to China, I hope the Chinese go very frequently to the Philippines. Well, I advertised Cebu earlier. Let me now advertise your sister province in the Philippines, the province of Bohol. The province of Bohol just like the province of Cebu, and just like the island of Boracay are all very famous for our beaches. And I hope that very soon, you, the young people of Nanchang will go to the Philippines on tours organized by the tour operators of your city and your province. Another way by which we can intensify our relationship is to allocate adequate resources to steer the relations and cooperation for mutual benefit. For instance, I understand that China provides preferential loans to support projects invested in by Chinese companies within ASEAN. That is very, very welcome. And I hope that therefore as there are so many Filipino- Chinese investing in China -- I think there are at least 1,200 Chinese-Filipino investments in China -- I hope there will also be many investments in China going to the Philippines. Right now what are we doing among ourselves in ASEAN? Right now, the ASEAN member-countries are currently channeling our efforts towards integrating our priority sectors. We have 11 priority sectors among us. Is that not right, Mr. Jose Concepcion, who is the Chairman of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council for the Philippines? These are agro-based products, air travel, automotive products, E- ASEAN -- which is electronic ASEAN -- electronics, fisheries, health care, rubber-based products, textiles and apparels, tourism, and wood-based product. By integrating these 11 industries, we envision a region transformed into one single and efficient production base. ASEAN is working towards eliminating non-tariff barriers among us. Meaning, we will have no more outright prohibition in our products going to each other, and we will remove unnecessary technical requirements on one another's export products, and we will eliminate quantitative barriers. Meaning, we will no longer have limits on the volume of products a particular ASEAN country imports from another ASEAN country. In this way, ASEAN becomes one economy even if we are 10 political countries. As we do this integration among ourselves in ASEAN, we will be able to strengthen ASEAN 's role. We will be able to strengthen ASEAN's bargaining position vis-a-vis other large markets, giant markets in the world. And together with ASEAN's partnership with China through the ASEAN -China free trade area, where we let out products go in between ASEAN and China with no tariff or very low tariff, what a huge integrated market that will be that will benefit consumers and suppliers alike. China is the fastest growing developing country in the world, aside from being the most populous. And therefore China has a strategic and important role to play in the economic development and security situation of the Asia- Pacific region. The rest of us in East Asia and even in Asia-Pacific expect China to take the lead in promoting good neighborly relations and regional cooperation by handling sensitive issues with surrounding countries in a manner that is guided by the spirit of equality, respect, consultation and mutual benefit. To summarize and in other words, we are hopeful that China will continue to pursue its foreign policy which as we can see right now is based on the maintenance of world peace and the promotion of common development. We congratulate China for that. And to conclude, why am I saying that here in Nanchang University, in front of the young people of Nanchang? Because I am hopeful that Nanchang University being a producer of future leaders will forge future Chinese leaders who will carry on the vision of greater regional harmony, cooperation and engagement. Xie-xie. Thank you. |
| PGMA's
Opening Statement during the Commemorative Summit Marking the 15th Anniversary of ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations Multifunctional Hall, International Conference Centre, Li Yuan Hotel, Nanning, Guangxi, PROC October 30, 2006 |
| Members of the media, ladies and gentlemen. All of the ASEAN leaders are here in China to celebrate the 15th year of China 's partnership with ASEAN. As the chair of ASEAN this year, I would like to express how proud we are of the role that ASEAN has played in helping China integrate its economy and become an economic powerhouse. This role of China has helped ASEAN. Our trade is surging with China and we are starting to see more Chinese investment in ASEAN. We hope to see more. China has surged onto the world stage and ASEAN has surged with it. The change has been profound. The leaders welcome the deepening of ties to 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. Going forward, the leaders agreed that we should continue to strengthen the ASEAN - China partnership. We agreed to promote confidence-building measures to further enhance mutual trust and understanding, to intensify interactions and to allocate adequate resources to steer the relations and cooperation for mutual benefit. In the light of recent events in North Korea, regional peace and security has never been more important. Although ASEAN is not a security organization and it is focused on economic and regional integration, the meeting of ASEAN and Chinese leaders provides a significant forum for discussing economic and security issues. It helps tie the region together and strengthen solidarity in times of crisis. We were impressed by the unanimity of every leader on the issue of North Korea and the resolve to work together as a region to seek a diplomatic solution through the resumption of the six-party talks. We were also impressed with the concern that was expressed by China and the hands on role it is playing to bring this issue to a positive conclusion. We in ASEAN thank Premier Wen Jiabao and the government and people of China and Guangxi and Nanning for their excellent and magnificent hospitality. And I invite all of you to the ASEAN Summit in Cebu, philippines where we shall also hold the annual ASEAN + China Summit, the ASEAN + Three Summit and the East Asia Summit. We also look forward to the opportunity of hosting a meeting among China, Korea and Japan. We are confident that these series of meetings which started today here in Nanning will make a very significant contribution to our shared goals of regional peace, stability and prosperity. Thank you. |
| PGMA's Closing Statement during the Commemorative Summit Marking
the 15th Anniversary of ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations Multifunctional Hall, International Conference Centre, Li Yuan Hotel Nanning, Guangxi, PROC October 30, 2006 |
| Thank you, your Excellency Premier Wen Jiabao. My fellow leaders in the ASEAN family: I would like to begin by thanking Premier Wen Jiabao and the government of China for the magnificent hosting of this 15th anniversary of ASEAN -China Commemorative Summit. This summit is more important than ever because open dialogue and trust between peoples and nations has never been more important than in today's world -- all of the ASEAN leaders who travelled to China to celebrate this very important milestone for ASEAN, the region and the world. We in ASEAN takes some amount of pride and satisfaction in helping China become an economic powerhouse as a result of economic, political and cultural collaboration between ASEAN and China. China has surged onto the world stage and ASEAN has surged with it. The change has been profound. ASEAN welcomes the deepening of ties to 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. So it gives me great pleasure to declare today that we in ASEAN believe that relations between China and ASEAN have never been better or stronger. This is an important state of affairs that can only help the region and the world. Yet, what is most important is not what has transpired between ASEAN and China or even between our individual countries and China. What is important is what happens next. What will our relationship look like 15 years from today? Will our economies not improve? Will there be less poverty and more prosperity? Will the world be safer and more secure? In the light of recent events in North Korea, regional peace and security has never been more important. ASEAN is not a security organization. It is focused on economic and social integration. Yet, this meeting of ASEAN and Chinese leaders provides a significant forum for discussing economic and security issues. It helps tie the region together and strengthen solidarity in times of crisis. These are the issues that we must focus our attention on. These are the issues that should be the subject of our meeting here in China and later in the Philippines as we forge a vision of what the future will be like for the next generation. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. |
| PGMA's
Speech during the Opening Ceremony of the 3rd China-ASEAN Expo Nanning International Conference and Exhibition Centre Nanning, Guangxi, PROC October 31, 2006 |
| His Excellency Premier Wen Jiabao, Minister of
Commerce Honorable Xi Lai, Governor Lu and the other officials of Guangxi, Your Majesty,
excellencies, heads of state, heads of government, other distinguished guests, ladies and
gentlemen. We are here today celebrating the golden age of ASEAN- China relations. All the leaders of ASEAN are visiting China to celebrate the 15th year of China's Dialogue Partnership with ASEAN. As the chair of ASEAN this year, I am particularly proud of the role that ASEAN has played in helping China integrate its economy and become a powerhouse in the region and the world. The relationship between China and ASEAN has helped ASEAN as a region. Our trade is surging with China, we are seeing more Chinese investment in ASEAN. We hope to see more. The ASEAN - China partnership remains one of the most dynamic and progressive in the East Asia region. When ASEAN and China first began relations in 1991, the focus was on cooperation in economic and trade relations. Over the past 15 years, the relationship has evolved to include cooperation on political security, development, and other regional issues. Going forward, we should continue to strengthen the ASEAN - China partnership by promoting confidence-building measures, intensifying interactions, and allocating adequate resources to steer the relations and cooperation for mutual benefit. This China - ASEAN expo is a good example of what we should be doing. An expo such as this builds confidence. It also reminds us of strategic themes such as: "What will our ASEAN - China relationship look like 15 years from today?" This expo should strengthen our resolve to intensify the integrative trade within the ASEAN - China free trade area. The ASEAN - China FTA enables both parties to reduce and eliminate its tariff rates for a range of products. The ASEAN region represents a market of over half a billion people for Chinese exports. It is a supplier of much-needed resources. In turn, we the ASEAN countries can reduce our dependence for our exports on western markets such as the U.S. and Europe. It is with great enthusiasm that we participate in the China - ASEAN expo. Our businessmen are looking not only for products to bring home but also for industries where Chinese and ASEAN manufacturing can collaborate to produce for our own domestic markets and for the rest of the world. Our businessmen have come to Nanning looking for products as candidates for integrative trade with China. I am confident our search will bear fruit in the field of shared prosperity both for China and ASEAN Thank you. |
| PGMA's
Speech during the opening ceremony of the 3rd China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (CABIS) Auditorium, Grand Hall of the People's Congress of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Nanning, Guangxi, PROC October 31, 2006 |
| His Excellency Premier Wen Jiabao; excellencies, the
Asian heads of state and government; Mr. Liu Qibao, party secretary of Guangxi, thank you
for your very kind remarks and welcome; Mr. Wan, thank you also for greeting the guests;
to all the leaders and business personalities present here today, Ni Hao. All of the Asian leaders are in China to celebrate the... The ASEAN leaders are in China to celebrate the 15th year of China 's partnership with ASEAN. As chair of ASEAN this year, I'm particularly proud of the role that ASEAN has played in China's integration with the world economy and China's becoming a powerhouse. Our trade is surging with China and we are seeing more Chinese investment in ASEAN. We hope to see more. That is why we welcome this China - ASEAN business and investment summit. When ASEAN and China first began relations in 1991, the focus was on cooperation in economic and trade relations. Going forward, we should continue to strengthen the ASEAN - China partnership by promoting confidence-building measures, intensifying interactions, and allocating adequate resources to steer the relations and cooperation for mutual benefit. Thus, we congratulate the central government of China and the government of Guangxi and the communist party committee of Guangxi for generously allocating resources for the last three years for this annual confidence-building measure, the China - ASEAN Expo and Business Investment Summit. In Cambodia in November 2002, at the ASEAN - China Summit, we, the leaders of our 11 nations, signed the framework agreement on our Comprehensive Economic Cooperation or CEC. Today's events are a wonderful celebration of this ASEAN - China CEC. The current engagement between China and ASEAN is true partnership. ASEAN relations with China are now more confident, mature and comprehensive. They are punctuated with substantial and important projects, like this one, aimed at deepening exchanges in a number of areas. These areas include economics, trade and investment, and even security. The parties to the comprehensive economic agreement respect one another as equals. One of the most dynamic components of the comprehensive economic agreement is the ASEAN - China free trade area. The ASEAN region represents a market of over half a billion people for Chinese exports. In turn, we, the ASEAN countries can reduce our dependence on western markets such as the U.S. and Europe. Aside from the ASEAN - China free trade agreement, the ASEAN - China CEC also embraces other matters such as today's event. The China - ASEAN Business and Investment Summit is a marketplace where investors can enjoy fruitful business-matching meetings where they can make deals about strategic business partnership, and where they can therefore participate in an integral part of the larger marketplace of the world. This is the third China - ASEAN business and investment summit, and the focus is on ASEAN and I am speaking today as chairman of ASEAN. But I want to close on the economic rebound underway in the Philippines. In the Philippines, the poverty rate is down, the per capita income is at an all-time high, and we are on track for a balanced budget in 2008. Philippine- China relations are at an all-time high. Our nation's relation with China is among the most important ties of our country. Thus, I take this opportunity to invite China to look at the Philippines as a destination for even greater Chinese investment, particularly in the areas of mining, infrastructure development, agriculture and fisheries, as well as housing. Our workforce is well-educated, productive and english-speaking. The government has taken the difficult decisions to raise the additional revenues needed to invest in infrastructure and services to create an economic environment that is conducive to investment. This commitment shows how serious we are about competing for foreign investment and the jobs that it creates. It is no secret how the Philippines is partnering with China. But the Philippines is not alone in doing this with China. Each ASEAN member can boast of its own success stories with regards to their business with China. Later on, in the course of this seminar, they will tell their stories in their respective investment promotions' speeches in the course of this business and investment summit. For the Philippines, it is an honor to co-chair the Commemorative ASEAN - China Summit and therefore to keynote this exciting event. This gathering bodes well for the theme, "One Future." And we hope that that "One Future" is a secure life in every home and community in East Asia. We hope that that "One Future" will mean the eventual banishment of hunger and poverty. We hope that that "One Future" will be a robust and vibrant regional community in one sharing and caring community made up of ASEAN and China. Thank you, Premier Wen Jiabao. Thank you to the people and officers of Guangxi for a magnificent welcome and a meaningful summit. Xie-xie. |
| PGMA's Arrival Statement after an Official Visit to the People's
Republic of China Terminal 2, NAIA, Pasay City November 3, 2006 |
| Good evening. Please sit down. Vice President De Castro, Cabinet members, General Esperon, our officers of the Armed Forces, other government officials, ladies and gentlemen. Umuwi ang inyong lingkod na may malaking pag-asa para sa Pilipinas ukol sa pagsulong ng ekonomiya at seguridad sa buong East Asia. Bilang chair ng ASEAN at co-chair ng ASEAN-China Summit, nadala natin sa pansin ng rehiyon ang mga adhikain ng mga Pilipino para sa sama-samang katatagan at kaunlaran sa ilalim ng pag-iral ng tunay na kalayaan at demokrasya. Buong loob tayong mapabisa ang diplomasya para sa taumbayan maging sa paghandog ng higit na pangangalakal at pamumuhunan upang lumikha ng mga trabaho o humubog ng malakas na pagkakasundo sa rehiyon para sa kapayapaan at seguridad o proteksyunan ang interes at kinabubuti ng mga Pilipino saan man sila nagtratrabaho at nakatira. Moody's investor service raised our outlook in recognition of the huge progress we have made in the Philippines to reform our economy and take control of our economic future. I want to thank the millions of hardworking Filipinos including our overseas workers who have come together to help turn around our economic fortunes. The bandwagon of Filipino productivity and excellence is pulling us forward in the world. For the first time in a generation, we now had the money for long overdue investments in our people and our nation. We have the first fruits of our reform, surplus money not debt, to invest in infrastructure, education and health care, and attract new investments to create good, high-paying jobs in the Philippines. This is another important step forward to help build up our great nation and raise the quality of life and help lift up our poor from the grip of poverty. Maraming salamat. Thank you. |
