President Rodrigo Duterte is looking forward to attending the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in China in April this year, the Palace said Thursday.
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said Duterte had already expressed his willingness to attend the second forum on Beijing’s global infrastructure plan.
Duterte’s affirmation came after Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua reminded him about the invitation extended by Chinese President Xi Jinping in November last year.
“We wish to inform the public that Chinese Ambassador Zhao had a courtesy call yesterday. It was a long courtesy call. It took us one hour and a half,” Panelo told reporters.
“He [Zhao] extended an invitation to the President, giving the greeting from the President of China to attend the Belt and Road Forum in late April of this year.”
“He [Duterte] looks forward to attending that. I think it’s possible [that he will attend].”
Zhao said he would coordinate with the Philippine agencies concerned in preparation for the President’s looming visit to Beijing, expecting Duterte’s attendance in the forum.
Zhao said Duterte’s attendance in the forum would attach a “great importance” to it, stressing that his mere presence would boost the Belt and Road cooperation and the development of bilateral relations.
The Belt and Road Initiative is Beijing’s ambitious effort to enhance regional cooperation and connectivity. It also seeks to strengthen infrastructure, trade and investments and people-to-people linkages between China and some 65 countries.
In May 2017, Duterte and some 28 heads of state and government leaders attended the first forum in Beijing.
Meanwhile, according to the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines, Zhao and the President tackled “a wide array of discussions and exchanged views on the latest development in China-Philippines relations.”
The two officials even “spoke highly of the good momentum of the development of bilateral ties,” recognizing the importance of fulfilling the signed agreements and important consensus reached during Xi’s state visit.
“[It] highlighted the pragmatic cooperation of the two countries in areas such as security, trade and people-to-people exchanges, as well as coordination on international and regional issues in order to bring about more tangible benefits to the two peoples,” the embassy said.
Present during the courtesy call were Panelo, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Acting Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo of the Philippines.
