Attendance in the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation

Posted on May 10, 2017

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s Attendance in the
Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation
in Beijing, People’s Republic of China
May 14 – 15, 2017

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is set to participate in the two-day Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation on May 14 and 15, 2017 in Beijing, People’s Republic of China.

The invitation comes directly from Chinese President Xi Jinping during President Duterte’s successful state visit in Beijing in October 2016.

According to Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Robespierre Bolivar, the President will be joined by 27 other state leaders and three heads of international organizations who will converge in two high-level meetings; the Ministerial-Level Dialogue and the Leaders’ Round Table.

In the Ministerial-Level Dialogue, leaders are scheduled to exchange views on several issues with members of the government, industries and research institutes.

Meanwhile, several topics are line up during the Leaders’ Round Table, which will be chaired by Chinese President Xi Jinping. These include: infrastructure connectivity, economic and trade cooperation, industrial investment, energy and resources, financial support, people-to-people exchanges, ecological and environmental protection, and marine cooperation.

Spokesperson Bolivar also added that the President might hold possible bilateral meetings with other leaders however not yet conclusive. He reiterated that the President’s foreign visits are focused on securing the national interest particularly in promoting the Philippine’s economic interest in the region.

According to its official website, the BRF was an initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping back in 2013 in hopes to revive the ancient Silk Road route that connected Asia, Europe and Africa, and integrate it to today’s Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The Forum is geared on promoting economic prosperity of the countries along the Belt and Road and regional cooperation, strengthen exchanges and mutual learning between different civilizations, and promote world peace and development.

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Activities in Beijing, China

Witnessing of Signing of MOUs	Expanded Bilateral Meeting with President Xi Jin Ping	Expanded Bilateral Meeting with Premier Li Keqiang
Group Photo	BRF Leaders’ Roundtable Session One	Belt and Road Forum Welcome Ceremony
BRF Welcome Dinner	Courtesy Call China Poly Group Corp. and Poly Technologies Inc.	Courtesy Call China Railway Group Ltd.
Courtesy Call of Chinese Business Groups	Bilateral Meeting with Mongolian Prime Minister Jargatulgyn Erdenebat	Arrival in Beijing