President Aquino said having harmonious relations with China — this year’s host of the Asia-Pacific Economic Conference (APEC) — will serve the best interest of the Philippines.
“It’s also in the Philippines’ interest to achieve harmony with all of its neighbors. There are so many practices that each country can benefit from as we face common challenges,” the President said when asked about the Philippine-China relations during the APEC CEO Summit here in Beijing.
For instance, the President said the Philippine government will be welcoming some of its peacekeepers next week from Liberia, a country affected by the Ebola virus outbreak. The spread of the virus is every country’s concern at this time, he said.
With regards to the Philippine-China relations, the President said that when he meets then President Hu Jintao in August 2011, they both agreed that the territorial dispute shouldn’t be the be-all and end-all of their relationships.
“And we are happy to note that, for instance in trade, there is a very significant growth in trade between our countries. In so many different other aspects, even from food production, there has been a lot of cooperation already,” he said.
“In people-to-people exchanges, the provision of numerous teachers of Mandarin for our countrymen has also been coming into the country.”
The Philippine companies have so far invested two and a half billion dollars in the Chinese economy, and in turn, China has infused about $600 million investments to the Philippines.
In terms of tourism, the Philippines sent around 800,000 tourists to China and on the other hand around 200,000 Chinese tourists visited the Philippines.
“So all of these numbers have continued to grow. And we seek to have, again, harmonious relationships with everybody so that we can concentrate on solving a lot of domestic problems that have to be addressed now,” the President said.
The President also said that he believes that without stability, it’s impossible to attain prosperity.
“And I think all governments, regardless of where they are, are set up primarily to improve the people’s lot or their people’s lot in life,” he added.
President Aquino arrived in Beijing Sunday afternoon to join fellow leaders in the 22nd APEC Leaders’ Meeting November 10 and 11. (PND)