The Manila Hotel, City of Manila
June 8, 2023

“It is a fitting prelude to our celebration of the 48th year of the formal establishment of the relations between Philippines and China – a significant event of our history that reckoned from the presidency of my father. Built on a long and rich history of commercial and cultural exchanges and intermingling, this bilateral relationship has been a boon to our country’s economic strength over the past years,” underscored President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. when he graced the Award for Promoting Philippines-China Understanding (APPCU) award ceremony.

The APPCU is a joint undertaking led by the Association for Philippines-China Understanding (APCU) and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Philippines that honors Filipinos who made efforts in strengthening and promoting mutual understanding between the two nations.

In his keynote speech, the President expressed appreciation to the APCU for organizing the award ceremony that also served as an opportunity to recognize the collective efforts in strengthening the bonds of the two countries through the years.

He also acknowledged the awardees that included former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, who received high recognition from the APPCU, for all their endeavors in preserving the relationship that has been established and nurtured throughout history.

“Our esteemed awardees shall have fresh motivation to pursue their worthy causes with more vigor. But they will also serve as exemplars for our countrymen to emulate, and to provide the spark to generate and spread goodwill between our countries and our peoples,” President Marcos Jr. added.

“I have nothing but bright optimism for the future of the bilateral ties of the Philippines and China. Let us continue to work together to usher in an exciting chapter for our respective nations, one in which peace and mutual progress will be at the heart of the stories that we will write side-by-side — as friends, as partners and as neighbors,” he ended in his message.

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