CHINESE Vice Premier Wang Yang will visit Manila in mid-March to sign agreements with the Philippine government following the recent trade and investment missions from China, an official said Wednesday.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said among the deals that will be signed here are the $1-million Chinese donation for the rehabilitation projects in earthquake-hit Surigao; the $1-billion purchase agreement for agricultural products; the $10-billion business projects of Chinese investors in the Philippines; and the Six-Year Development Program for Economic and Trade Cooperation.
Lopez made his statement even as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday the relations between China and the Philippines had returned to the right path to benefit the two peoples and other countries in the region.
Since President Rodrigo Duterte came to office, he had handled the South China Sea issue properly and actively improved relations with China, Wang said.
“The Philippines has extended a hand of goodwill, so China of course will embrace it with open arms of cooperation, Wang told a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People’s Congress.
Lopez said Chinese Minister of Commerce Zhong Shan mentioned during the 28th Joint Commission on Economic and Trade Cooperation that China will be donating $1 million for the rehabilitation projects in Surigao.
On Feb. 10 Surigao was hit by a 6.7-magnitude earthquake that caused a P720-million damage to infrastructure.
China plans to import from the Philippines products such as durian, avocado, bananas, pineapples, coconuts, mangos, dragon fruits, mangosteen, marang, rice, coffee, cacao, fish, chicken and duck meat under the $1-billion agricultural products purchase deal.
The $10-billion business deals involve five Chinese firms that presented their letters of intent to the Board of Investments to establish their businesses in the country.