CHINA will lift its two-year-old travel advisory against the Philippines when President Rodrigo Duterte visits Beijing next week, according to Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua.
“The Chinese side has already decided to lift the travel advisory,” Zhao said in a forum on Friday.
Asked by reporters when the advisory will be lifted, the Chinese ambassador said: “During your President’s visit.”
Zhao noted that 10 million Chinese tourists go to Thailand every year while only 500,000 Chinese people visit the Philippines.
During the first half of 2016, 360,000 Chinese tourists have already visited the Philippines, he said, adding that the number is expected to go up to one million Chinese visitors by the end of the year.
With Chinese tourists estimated to be spending an average of US$1,000 per person for their trips, Zhao said this would translate to US$1 billion in income for the Philippines from Chinese tourists.
The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines had earlier issued a travel warning to its citizens after the deadly Davao City explosion in early September and in 2014 when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised Chinese citizens not to go to the Philippines because of an alleged plot to bomb the Chinese embassy, Chinese businesses and Manila’s international airport.
The alleged bomb plot was linked to the dispute over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), which heated up in 2012 and soured relations between the Philippines and China.
Zhao likewise said China is keen on forging a fisheries cooperation agreement during Duterte’s visit and was confident a solution could be found so the two countries could create “a sea of peace and cooperation.”
“The Chinese side is very much interested in fisheries cooperation. That is the kind of response to your President’s concern about fishermen,” Zhao said.
“We would like to explore the possibility of how we can handle it properly. I think both sides are going to be able to work on a possible solution to this problem,” he added.
Zhao adds though that China is willing to cooperate with the Philippines on common interests in the West Philippine Sea, as what happened during the Arroyo administration, including ensuring peace and stability in the disputed waters, development of maritime resources and oil reserves, fighting pirates and maintaining freedom of navigation.