By Arabella Asis
The Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councilor Qin Gang will take an official visit to the Philippines from April 21 to 23.
Following an invitation from Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, the two officials will discuss ways to increase and strengthen cooperation in the fields of agriculture, trade, energy, infrastructure, and people-to-people relations.
The official visit is a continuation of the series of high-level interactions between the Philippines and China in 2023.
Last Jan. 4, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., conducted a state visit to China and exchanged plans with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Meanwhile, Manolo and Qin will also tackle the Philippines-China Foreign Ministry Consultations and Bilateral Consultations Mechanism on the South China Sea that were held back-to-back in Manila last March.
This will be Qin’s first official engagement with the Philippines since his appointment as Foreign Minister last December 2022 and as State Councilor last March 2023. – gb
