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
