2015 marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Philippines-China diplomatic relations. On 13 April 2015, ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) conducted “Touring ASEAN with Diplomats” Microblog interview via ACC Microblog, inviting H. E. Mrs. Erlinda F. Basilio, Ambassador of the Philippines to China, as the guest of honor of the interview. Ms. Lada Phumas, Director of Information and Public Relations Division (IPRD) of ACC, led the team to the interview.
On 8 April 2015, ACC made an announcement through its Website, Microblog and WeChat about the Microblog interview, inviting all interested ACC Microblog fans to join this event. The announcement was so warmly received that nearly 170,000 fans read and noted it, and dozens of questions and comments were raised.
During the 3-hour interview, Ambassador Basilio answered in English more than 20 questions raised by the Microblog fans, covering the Philippines-China relations, bilateral economic cooperation, education exchange and cooperation, the Philippines' role in ASEAN Community building process, the Philippine culture and its characteristics, the tourism resources in the Philippines. Ambassador Basilio also shared her views on ASEAN after 2015, which would be the year of realization of ASEAN Community, as well as expectation for ACC to further promote ASEAN-China relations in the areas of trade, investment, education, culture, tourism and media. The record of the interview on Microblog was bilingual in both Chinese and English languages as via http://weibo.com/p/100808f08d54f88677c8adc0a7194e1bc65311/emceercd?from=page_huati_rcd_more.
On the Philippines-China relations, Ambassador Basilio said she witnessed the dynamic development of the bilateral ties over the last 40 years of the establishment of our formal diplomatic relations. The two-way exchanges continued to grow in both number and significance. The Philippine Embassy and 6 Consulates General in China would hold a myriad of activities in 2015 for a meaningful celebration of friendship and cooperation.
On economic cooperation between the Philippines and China, Ambassador Basilio introduced the sustained increase of bilateral trade, which in 2014 was 14%. She expected the Philippine enterprises to further increase their importation of Chinese products. She believed that both countries would benefit more by complementing each other’s economic strengths and filling the needs or gaps of each other’s specific sectors, and the potential economic prospects for both countriesmight be in the areas of customer management services, food supply and medical services to the elderly.
On education cooperation, Ambassador Basilio described the Philippines as the “world’s budget English teacher”. Chinese students were already among the top five student groups in the Philippines, while about 1,000 Filipino students were in Chinese universities. She hoped these numbers grow further. She encouraged the Filipino people to read the great Chinese works and learn about Chinese culture and language, those could bring the two peoples closer.
On tourism and entry formalities which the fans were most interested in, Ambassador Basilio said the Philippines was endowed with the best that Mother Nature has to offer with various spots for diversified visitors. 2015 is the “Visit the Philippines Year (VPY)”. The Philippine tourism and immigration authorities were constantly making the entry and stay of visitors to the Philippines easy and hassle-free, and the Philippine Embassy and Consulates General in China would continue to streamline the visa application process for the Chinese people. She assured the Chinese visitors would be very safe and warmly welcomed in her country.
On the Philippine culture, Ambassador Basilio figured out the Philipine culture reflected its strong faith, oneness with others, affinity with nature and passionate celebration of life even in the face of trials and adversities. It was the Filipino spirit to be pleasant, welcoming and hospitable. The Chinese influence was deeply entrenched in the way of life of Filipinos. She believed that the shared values and linked destinies deepened and enriched the long-standing friendship and amity of the Filipino and Chinese peoples.
On the Philippines and ASEAN, Ambassador Basilio expressed that the Philippines focused a lot of efforts, energy and enthusiasm, and worked closely with other 9 ASEAN Member States in building the ASEAN Community, and would continue to cooperate with China as ASEAN partner. ASEAN Community was a platform for future engagement with ASEAN and the rest of the world.
On her expectation for ACC, Ambassador Basilio expressed the Philippines’ support and encouragement to ACC in the work of promoting interaction and cooperation between ASEAN and China in the fields of trade, investments, education, culture, tourism and media. She in particular highlighted IPRD of ACC's roles and efforts in facilitating the interview, and helping reach the Philippines out to the Chinese general public, which was highly appreciated. The interview concluded with great success. Over 300,000 viewings were registered during and after the interview.
"Touring ASEAN with Diplomats” Microblog interview series, initiated by ACC in 2012, aim to raise the awareness about ASEAN in China through the eyes of ASEAN diplomats. For the past years, ACC has organized Microblog interviews via ACC Microblog with guests of honor including former Indonesian Ambassador to China H.E. Mr. Imron Cotan and current Indonesian Ambassador to China H.E. Mr. Soegeng Rahardjo, former Thai Ambassador to China H.E. Mr. Wiboon Khusakul, and a Brunei diplomat in China. These interviews were warmly received by Microblog fans and enhanced mutual understanding between the peoples of ASEAN and China.
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