Chinese envoy vows to promote Iloilo City
Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Li Jin Jun assured that he will promote Iloilo City when he returns to China after his visit to the country.
The Chinese ambassador paid a courtesy visit to Mayor Jerry P. Treñas last Friday.
Li vowed to bring more tourists as well as investments to the city. He revealed that the city is not yet included in the list of areas in the country where the Chinese government is set to pour in multi-million investments.
In 2004, there were 30,000 Chinese tourists who visited Philippines. The following year, the number Chinese tourists drastically increased to 100,000. In 2006, Chinese tourists were pegged at 150,000.
However, most of these tourists stayed either in Manila, Bohol, Boracay and Palawan. The Ambassador who spoke to the members of the Iloilo City Hall Press Corps through his interpreter Peng Siu Bin said “one thing that we could do is to encourage Chinese tourists to come over because they boost the economy of the city especially the industry.”
Li added that he has already heard a lot about Iloilo before his recent trip to the city. The local Filipino-Chinese have long been living in harmony with the local people. They have already established special relations with China long ago. “There is a great achievement in economic and social developments here over the past year,” he noted
The Chinese envoy was in the city last week for the 95th Foundation Day of the Iloilo Chinese Commercial High School. Part of his visit was to foster economic ties between China and the Philippine government. The city government also tendered a testimonial dinner for the Chinese envoy Saturday night at Amigo Terrace Hotel.
Li said he hopes to strengthen the economic cooperation between China and the Philippines in the future. The President (Arroyo) has already expressed her desire to the Chinese government that economic opportunities should not only center in Luzon region but also in Visayas and Mindanao.
In the recent ASEAN summit in Cebu, Chinese Premier Minister Wen Jianbao signed 20 economic agreements with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. However, the projects only centered in Luzon and not in Visayas and Mindanao.
The Chinese envoy also wants to help to look for another city in China to become the sister city of Iloilo. Iloilo City is already a sister city of Qingdao.