MANILA — The Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) on Wednesday expressed hope that it will be able sign an agreement with China’s National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) next year after encountering a delay.
Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said he met NRTA Minister Nie Chenxi in a courtesy call on Tuesday (Nov. 20) where they discussed the MOU proposal which was supposed to be signed in time for the state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Philippines.
In a text message to PNA, Andanar said the signing did not push through since details in the MOU were “still being ironed out.”
Andanar said during his meeting with Nie, they discussed the initial MOU proposal and set to have the MOU signed during the Belt and Road forum in China in April next year.
“We are expecting na ito po ay mapirmahan po natin sa susunod po na meeting ni Presidente Duterte at Presidente Xi. I guess this will happen next year, mga April po sa China po (We are expecting that this will be signed during the next meeting between President Duterte and President Xi. I guess this will happen next year, around April, in China),” Andanar in an interview over DZRH.
On Tuesday, Xi personally invited President Rodrigo R. Duterte to attend the forum as they witnessed the exchange of some 29 agreements, including a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Belt and Road Initiative cooperation after their expanded bilateral meeting at the Malacañang Palace.
Last September, PCOO and Philippine embassy officials met with NRTA officials in Beijing to discuss ways of enhancing media cooperation and strengthening media partnerships in relation to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
The main task of China’s NRTA is the administration and supervision of state-owned enterprises, particularly those engaged in the television and radio industries.
All deals
Andanar, meanwhile, congratulated Duterte for hosting a “very successful state visit” for Xi.
He also assured that the government will release copies of the deals signed and other important information in relation to Xi’s visit to the public, especially the media.
“Pinorward na po namin iyong listahan muna sa Malacañang Press Corps at sa Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) at sa iba’t-ibang mga international media na nag-cover po noon (We have forwarded a list of deals signed to the MPC, FOCAP and other international media that covered),” Andanar said.
“In the days to come, pag na-clear na po ng Department of Foreign Affairs ay pati po iyong details niya (In the days to come, when it is cleared by the DFA, the details will also be released),” he added.
