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PH and Fellow Asian Consuls General Draw Lessons from Ningbo Development Story

Consul General Ignacio is welcomed by Mayor Qiu Dongyao at the Ningbo Municipal People’s Government

Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, 27 May 2021 – Philippine Consul General Josel F. Ignacio joined fellow Shanghai-based Asian Consuls General and consular officials on a two-day invitational tour of Ningbo City that showcased the city’s rapid progress, world-class port infrastructure and rich culture.
Held on 25-26 May by the Municipal People’s Government, “Ningbo in the Eyes of Asian Diplomats” saw the participation of 29 diplomats from the Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Mongolia, Pakistan, ROK and Turkey.

En route to Ningbo,

 the delegation was toured around the sprawling Hangzhou Bay Wetland Park, Ningbo’s project with the Global Environment Facility and the World Bank on wetland ecology restoration and ecotourism.

CG Ignacio (3rd from L) with the Consuls General of Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Mongolia and Laos at the Meishan International Container Terminal.

In the evening, the delegation was received by Ningbo Mayor Qiu Dongyao on a courtesy call, and was thereafter hosted to a welcome dinner by Vice Mayor Li Guanding.
The next day saw Ningbo’s ascendant coastal and port economy showcased, as the group visited the Beilun Meishan International Container Terminal and the fully automated Maersk Meishan International Logistics Center. A briefing on the operations and investment environment of Meishan Port and the larger Ningbo-Zhoushan port’s place in the Zhejiang Free Trade Pilot Zone capped the visit.
Before departing Ningbo for Shanghai, the diplomats attended the opening ceremony of “The Belt and Road Asian Countries Exhibition 2021” organized by the ultra-modern Ningbo Library. The rites included a book donation ceremony, with Consul General Ignacio donating a three-volume book on Filipino grammar published in the Chinese-language.

 (Clockwise from top left)
CG Ignacio beside a commemorative plate from Antipolo City to Ningbo City on exhibit at Ningbo Library;
CG Ignacio ceremonially turning over a donation of a three-volume Filipino grammar book in Chinese to Ningbo Library;
The participating Consuls General and other diplomats from Asian countries at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Asian Countries Exhibition 2021.

Ningbo is one of China’s wealthiest cities and, with Shanghai, one of the key economic centers of the Yangtze River Delta Region. With container traffic of 27.5 million TEUs in 2019, the Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan is the third busiest container port globally, after Shanghai and Singapore, END

Consulate General and Shanghai Public Diplomacy Association to Sustain Track Record of Active Cooperation

Consul General Ignacio engages in a cordial and animated exchange with SPDA Vice Chair Dao.

Shanghai, 27 May 2021 - Consul General in Shanghai Josel F. Ignacio was warmly received today by the Shanghai Public Diplomacy Association (SPDA) at its Changning District headquarters.
Accompanied by Consul Marlowe A, Miranda, the Consul General was received by SPDA Vice Chairman, Mr. Dao Shuming, Vice Secretary-General Mr. Sun Weimin, and official Mrs. Zhang Ying.
Founded in 2011 as a non-profit social organization and falling under the supervision of the General Office of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference-Shanghai Committee (CPPCC-Shanghai), the SPDA promotes people-to-people exchanges with other countries on culture, tourism, education, science and technology and the economy.
Vice Chairman Dao thanked the Consul General for calling on the SPDA early in his term. Recalling the active cooperation between the Association and the Philippine Consulate General and for the past years, he expressed the hope that such would continue under the Consul General’s leadership. “The Philippine Consulate General we consider to be closest to the SPDA, among all Consulates in Shanghai”, he proudly declared.
The Consul General extended his assurances, citing the importance that the Department of Foreign Affairs itself accords to public diplomacy as one of the pillars of Philippine foreign policy.

Consul Miranda, CG Ignacio, VC Dao, and Vice Secretary General Sun at the meeting’s close.

The two sides acknowledged the value of public diplomacy initiatives in promoting mutual understanding between the Philippines and China and amidst complex issues, allowing other key areas of cooperation and engagement to progress.
Consul General Ignacio and Vice Chairman Dao exchanged ideas on possible cooperation projects, including online activities on commercial, tourism and cultural promotion under the current regime of restrictions on travel around the world.
The SPDA had worked actively with the Consulate General in recent years. It dispatched representatives to three familiarization tours of the Philippines organized by the Department of Tourism between 2017 and 2019. In 2019, it supported Ballet Philippines’ performance at the Shanghai International Dance Center. END

LEADS EXPLORED AT CONSULATE GENERAL’S PARTICIPATION IN SHANXI-ASEAN INVESTMENT CONFERENCE

.Consul Demdem (right) and Commercial Vice Consul Tani (left) with Director Liu.

Shanghai, 27 May 2021 – Economic Officer Consul Conrado B. Demdem, Jr., and Commercial Vice Consul Mario C. Tani of the Philippine Consulate General batted for the exploration of two-way economic linkages between Shanxi Province and the Philippines at the International Cooperation and Investment Promotion Conference sponsored by provincial authorities on 26 May at the Kerry Hotel in Pudong.
The two officials joined the economic and commercial officers of ASEAN Consulates General in Shanghai and representatives of various enterprises and business organizations in the half-day event, organized by the Shanghai Office of the Shanxi-ASEAN Chamber of Commerce with the support of the Shanxi Provincial Bureau of Investment Promotion.
Welcoming attendees, Director Liu Su Lin of the Center of Foreign Investment Promotion and International Affairs underscored Shanxi Province’s growth and growing contribution to China’s opening up since 2017, through initiatives such as the Shanxi Transformation and Comprehensive Reform Demonstration Zone. Director Han Ying of the Shanxi Provincial Bureau of Investment Promotion reported on the ongoing construction of industrial parks across the province as “catalysts in heightening cooperation” with ASEAN countries.
Located in northern China and bordered by the provinces of Hebei, Henan, Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia, Shanxi is shifting from its main industry of coal to high-quality development and to integration within and outside China. Its economic output was RMB 1.55 trillion (USD 229.9 billion) in 2017, averaging 6% annually between that year and 2019.
Networking at the event’s close, Shanxi representatives expressed their readiness to welcome Philippine investors in the province’s food processing industry, and raised the possibility of setting up a local office in Manila to facilitate engagement. Consul Demdem and Vice Consul Tani, for their part, discussed investment opportunities in the Philippines, particularly in the steel sector and the country’s nascent new energy vehicle industry. Further developments will be coordinated through the Philippine Embassy in Beijing and the Philippine Trade and Investment Center there, which have oversight over the province. END