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Shanghai, 29 June 2021 – Officials of the Silk Road Cities Alliance (SRCA) led by former Chinese Consul General in Cebu SONG Ronghua called on the Consulate General today to discuss proposed activities to help further boost PH-China cooperation and exchanges.

Founded in 2014 by Mr. Song himself, the SCRA is an NGO dedicated to promoting deeper cooperation with countries, with a focus on those taking part in China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

In 2018, during the Manila visit of President Xi Jinping the Philippines and China entered into an MOU on Cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative.

Mr. Song and colleagues were received by Consul General Josel F. Ignacio, Economic Officer Consul Conrado B. Demdem, Jr., and Commercial Vice Consul Mario Tani. The SRCA founder said “the time was ripe to explore more areas of cooperation” with the Consulate General, given the “new era of (PH-China) relations under the new circumstances.” He outlined a number of proposals for cooperation with the Philippines and the Consulate General, such as the sharing of healthcare expertise, the promotion of Philippine cuisine and food products in China, reciprocal tourism, exchanges of artists and performers, and others.

Consul General Ignacio welcomed SCRA’s proposed initiatives, remarking that people-to-people and cultural exchanges were “an important part of the overall relationship” between the Philippines and China, and underpinned other key aspects of relations, including business-to-business ties.

In his capacity as Director of PTIC-Shanghai, Commercial Vice Consul Tani also expressed readiness to work with the SRCA, particularly relative to the upcoming 4th iteration of the annual China International Import Expo (CIIE) in November. Vice Consul Tani cited food products to be the Philippines’ priority at the CIIE.

Mr. Song, who also co-founded the Beijing Belt and Road Cooperative Community, has had a long history of official and personal ties with the Philippines, concluding his diplomatic career with a stint as China’s Consul General in Cebu in 2015.

Before taking his leave, Mr. Song took the opportunity to sign the condolence book opened by the Consulate General that very day in honor of the late former President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, becoming the Consulate’s first guest to do so. END

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Shanghai, 28 June 2021 – The Consulate General of the Philippines accentuated the vibrancy of Philippines-China economic and people-to-people relations and Shanghai’s keystone role in propelling these facets of ties, at the Belt and Road Forum on Sustainable Development held on 26 June in Qingpu District.

The Forum was part of the three-day 2021 Foreign Diplomats International Cultural And Artistic Exchange Tour organized on 25-27 June by the Beijing-based media outfit Home and Abroad News Press (HANP) in partnership with Shanghai-based World Handicraft Industry Exposition Park.

The Philippines was among the countries represented at the event, which included Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Congo, Cuba, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Pakistan, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Togo.

Consul General Josel F. Ignacio guested in VIP Dialogue Session 2, together with the Consuls General of Iran and Cuba. Addressing the topic “How to use Shanghai's advantages to promote the "Belt and Road" cooperation in various sectors between China and participating countries?”, he underscored China as “one of (the Philippines’) most important partners bilaterally and regionally”, and extolled the country’s trade and business engagements with Shanghai as a “mirror of the healthy overall Philippines-China bilateral relationship.”

Since 2018, Shanghai has been the third largest market for Philippine products on mainland China, according to the Consul General. It has also been home to China operations of major Philippine companies such as Liwayway (China) Co. Ltd., Dai-Ichi Electronics Shanghai Co. Ltd., and Metrobank. “Philippine companies were in fact among the first to manifest their confidence in the promise of China’s reform and opening up”, he proudly declared.

The Consul General wrapped up his remarks by proffering thoughts on maximizing the synergies between the Belt and Road Initiative and ASEAN’s Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025.  

BeltandRoad2 ccThe day prior, the Consul General, with Consul Conrado B. Demdem, Jr., and Commercial Vice Consul Mario Tani, joined the ceremonial launch of National Pavilions to be housed at a new exhibition hall under construction at the World Handicraft Industry Exposition Park in Qingpu. slated to open in October this year. The Philippines was among 15 countries allocated gratis pavilions.

BeltandRoad3 ccCapping the activities was a tour on 27 June of Zhujiajiao, dubbed the “Venice of Shanghai.” Consul Demdem, Commercial Vice Consul Tani, and Consulate General Administrative Officer Ronald Villanueva joined counterparts in a tour of the 1,700-year old water town and its famous Buddhist temple, old houses and shops lining the waterways, intricately-designed rock bridges, and traditionally attired boatmen expertly navigating their gondolas along the narrow tributaries. END

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Shanghai, 22 June 2021 - Exploring market opportunities for Philippine products in China’s only cosmetics industry hub, the Philippine Consulate General’s Economic Officer Consul Conrado B. Demdem, Jr., and Commercial Vice Consul Mario Tani attended the Fengxian Oriental Beauty Valley Promotion Conference on 21 June at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Fengxian District, Shanghai.

Also in attendance were diplomats from the consular missions of Belgium, Hungary, Indonesia, Japan, Malta, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Panama, Singapore, Switzerland, UAE, UK, US, and Venezuela, alongside representatives of various Shanghai-based business chambers and enterprises.

Organized by the Shanghai Foreign Affairs Office and the Fengxian District People’s Government, the event was hosted by Fengxian District Party Secretary Mr. ZHUANG Mudi, who keynoted the proceedings. He reiterated the government’s vow to open the District’s doors “wider and wider” to foreign enterprises and talents, and its resolve to grow Fengxian into the “Cosmetics Capital of the World” via a conducive business environment and the necessary infrastructure. Other officials addressing the gathering were Acting District Mayor Mr. Yuan Quan, Deputy District Mayor Mr. GU Yi, Shanghai Commerce Commission Vice Chairperson Mme. ZHU Yi, and Standing Party Committee Member Vice Director Mr. GU Yaoming.

Recognizing market opportunities arising from Fengxian’s roadmap, Consul Demdem and Vice Consul Tani made a pitch for Philippine health and beauty products including coconut-based cosmetics goods, in brief talks with Party Secretary ZHUANG and Vice Director GU at the close of the event.

The Shanghai Municipal People’s Government (SMPG) has made the Fengxian Oriental Beauty Valley the core pilot area for the city’s health industry, which is set to grow to RMB 100 billion (US$15.4 billion) by 2025. END

 

Shanghai, 13 June 2021 – Hundreds of guests craving for a taste of the Philippines trooped to the first-ever Fiesta Filipinas -- Kain Na! event in Shanghai on June 13, 2021 at Found 158, Shanghai’s popular open-air dining complex.

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Helmed by the Shanghai Office of the Department of Tourism and the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC Shanghai) with the support of the Philippine Consulate General, the event trained the spotlight on Filipino cuisine and festival culture.

Seven locally based Filipino cooks served up classic Filipino dishes to over 800 guests that included Chinese and other expatriates in Shanghai and, not surprisingly, a huge crowd of Filipino kababayans eager for a taste of home.

Featured were Filipino favorites such as lechon kawali, sisig, adobo and halo-halo. The best of Philippine food products and ingredients were also on centerstage, which the Filipino cooks took full advantage of in their creations: sisig using Century Tuna, halo-halo topped with Pong Pong banana chips, dessert balls with MY San Graham crackers, bibingka based on Coco Mama coconut cream and maja blanca spiked with Tanduay Rum – a fresh and enticing take on this classic kakanín. 

The event also proved an excellent platform for promoting Filipino products. Liwayway of Oishi snack-fame, showcased its latest line of new snacks and beverages. Super Coco presented its famous virgin coconut oil and coconut-related products. Juga brand’s purees highlighted the singular brand of sweetness of Philippine mangoes in refreshing smoothies.

The booths drew crowds and saw fast-moving inventories, with further sales realized via e-commerce platforms such as T Mall, JD.com, Taobao, Pinduoduo and Suning.

“Thfiesta2cc1is initiative is in line with the Department of Tourism KAIN NA program, to promote Philippine gastronomy to the international market”, according to PDOT Chief Ireneo Reyes. PTIC head Tani, for his part, underscored the event’s role in increasing Philippine food exports to China, citing the introduction of over 20 various products to the Chinese mainstream market in the fresh and processed food categories.

Opening the event, Consul General Josel F. Ignacio proudly observe “that Filipino food is finally taking its rightful place, literally, on the table, and that the past decade has seen interest in Filipino cuisine surge globally” . Citing the success of Filipino restaurants and pop-ups in around the world, “Surely, Shanghai, a global city in its own right, should not be far behind”, he said.

Folkloric dances from Tribu Hiligaynon, a Filipino Community group performed the Masskara and Dinagyang festival dances which wowed both Filipino and Chinese crowds.

fiesta3cc1The event drew a Chinese social media coverage of the event was extensive, as the DOT enlisted the draw of popular vlogger Chang Lin, known to followers as “Travel Lin”, who featured the event live to 11 million viewers for 1.5 hours, earning over 2,813 comments and a million likes. A two-minute highlights video on her Weibo page garnered 700,000 views and 2,400 likes. 

At the sidelines of the event, the Consulate General also entertained inquiries and registrations for overseas absentee voting, from participating Filipino expatriates. END

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