Philippine Local Government Delegation in China

A20-member Philippine local government delegation headed by Victor A. Yap， Governor of Tarlac， visited China in early September and attended the 2013 China International Cities Cooperation Forum， a subforum of the China Jilin Northeast Asia Investment and Trade Expo held in Changchun， the provincial capital.

CPAFFC President Li Xiaolin met them on September 4. She recalled her pleasant visit to Manila in 2010， experiencing the warm friendship of the Philippine people.

“There is a long history of friendship between China and the Philippines and many Filipinos have Chinese blood. Although our two countries have differences on some issues at present， I believe they will be resolved through negotiation and dialogue as long as our two countries proceed from the fundamental interests of our peoples and continue to strengthen people-to-people friendship， especially local government cooperation.”

Governor Yap told Li Xiaolin his father had been governor of Tarlac and was very friendly towards China. In 1986， at the age of 22， he had visited China with his father with the first Philippine parliamentary delegation. The visit left beautiful memories.

He， himself， had Chinese blood. During the 1986 visit， his father took him on a trip to Nanan in Fujian Province to discover his ancestral roots. He said， he would attend the 2013 China International Cities Cooperation Forum during the current visit and would use the occasion to enhance cooperation in trade and investment with China.

Enrique D. Conjuangco， Jr.， Vice Governor of Tarlac， said China’s rapid development was obvious to all and there were many things worth learning from it. He liked Chinese culture and was studying Chinese language. He had experienced the friendship of the Chinese people for the Philippine people during the trip. He emphasized that the Philippines and China should live in amity and that he was willing to do anything practical to promoting the bilateral friendly relations.

Mr. Lorenzo Ku， the organizer of the visit， is honorary chairman of the Association for Philippines-China Understanding， Chairman of the Philippines-China Economic and Trade Council， Honorary Trade Representative of the Philippines Department of Trade and Industry to China， Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Textile Producers Association of the Philippines， Inc. and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Association of Volunteer Fire Chiefs Firefighters of the Philippines， Inc.

He said the CPAFFC was a very important friendship organization and he would work together with it to con-tribute to the development of friendly relations between the two countries. He noted that， three years before， he had invited and received in the Philippines a friendship delegation headed by CPAFFC President Li Xiaolin， who conferred on him the Award for Contribution to People’s Friendship， which moved him greatly.

Despite of his old age， he would seek to make fresh contributions to the continuous development of bilateral relations. This time he had brought young and promising governors， mayors and Assembly members with him so that they could learn more about the country， thus strengthening mutual trust.

He was proud to have helped Tarlac Province and Lipa City establish contact with Henan Province and Fushun City， leading to friendshipprovince/city ties.

The delegation attended the 2013 China International Cities Cooperation Forum. Vice Governor Enrique D. Cojuangco， Jr. and Lipa Mayor Maynardo Marciano A. Sabili introduced their local areas to the forum. They held that to “transform the pattern of development and promote economic restructuring in order to seek development”was an issue confronting all cities of the world.

The successful experiences of China were worth learning and the forum had broadened their own vision. They hoped to enhance communication with relevant Chinese departments and organizations and make contributions to the continuous development of friendship between the people of China and the Philippines and the promotion of common development.