Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said Monday the Philippines aims to strengthen economic relations with Fujian, one of China’s key provinces.
“We have strong historical ties with Fujian Province and its people. Our proximity with each other has attracted so many Fujian investors to do business in the country and partner with other Filipino business groups. Some of the known Filipino-Chinese taipans trace their origins from Fujian. And now that we have renewed our relationship with China, we can push further our collaboration in enhancing trade and investment relations that would have mutual benefits for both parties,” Lopez said.
He encouraged Fujian businesses to locate and expand their operations in the Philippines. He said the Philippines could be a critical entry point to over 600 million people in the Asean market and a natural gateway to the East-Asian economies.
He underscored preferential trade agreements with different trading partner countries such as Asean, Japan, China, Korea, India, Australia, and New Zealand. He also highlighted the country’s participation in United States’ Generalized System of Preferences, European Union’s Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus and the free trade agreement signed by the country with the European Free Trade Association.
