THE PHILIPPINES and China inked 14 bilateral agreements covering infrastructure, agriculture, trade, and tourism, among others, during President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday.
But the implications of these bilateral deals should be studied carefully given the Philippines’ ongoing sea dispute with China and Beijing’s failure to deliver on its investment pledges in the past, some observers noted.
The signing of a framework agreement for the implementation of the said projects “gives the Philippines access to the renminbi -denominated government concessional loan facility portion of the loan,” the DoF added. Terry L. Ridon, convenor of infrastructure think tank InfraWatch, said these are “modest loans” which can be funded through government revenues.
But the standout for this trip, “which makes the visit successful on its own,” is the signing of a bilateral agreement between the Philippine foreign affairs department and its Chinese counterpart for a communication mechanism on maritime issues, Mr. Gloria said. The Department of Agriculture and its Chinese counterpart also signed a joint action plan for 2023-2025 on agricultural and fisheries cooperation, and agreed on a list of phytosanitary requirements for the export of fresh durians from the Philippines to China.
“Our governments will work together on increasing tourist arrivals, resuming and adding direct flights to key and emerging destinations, joint promotional activities, and inviting tourism investments in infrastructure, among others,” Tourism Secretary Maria Esperanza Christina G. Frasco said in a separate statement.
Meanwhile, an electronic cooperation deal between the Department of Trade and Industry and China’s Ministry of Commerce was also signed during the meeting, the Palace said. “President Marcos’ optimism about the Chinese leader being interested in the issues addressed in the agreements is reminiscent of pledges that result from state visits,” he added. “The question is always about what the follow-up actions will be.”
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