Great Hall of the People, Beijing, China
January 4, 2023

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. held a bilateral meeting with Premier Li Keqiang on the second day of his State Visit to the People’s Republic of China.

This is the second face-to-face meeting between the two leaders. They first met in Cambodia during the 25th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-China Summit for the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and Related Summits in November 2022.

In his opening remarks, the President conveyed that it is his privilege to be the first foreign leader invited by China to visit this 2023. He feels the responsibility of strengthening the special ties between the two countries, more so that he played a special part in laying the foundation for this relationship, having accompanied his mother, former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos, when she visited China in 1974. A year later, diplomatic ties was formally established by his father, the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos.

The signing of about a dozen agreements during the visit will add to the existing 100 agreements between the two countries, aiming to enhance cooperation in multiple areas geared towards post-pandemic economic recovery.

China is one of the Philippines’ major economic partners, with 20% of its total trade with Asia’s economic giant. It is the country’s largest source of imports and second largest export destination. China is also an important player in the country’s inbound foreign direct investments (FDIs) and development assistance, particularly infrastructure projects.

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