Grand Hyatt Beijing, Beijing, China
August 30, 2019
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte led the Philippines-China Business Forum at the Grand Hyatt Beijing in Beijing, People’s Republic of China.
In his remarks, President Duterte expressed his gratitude to the Chinese business community for their interest to be part of the Philippines’ economic growth. “The Philippines is one of the fastest growing economies in the region and in the world. We have grown for the past 82 consecutive quarters and recorded above 6% annual growth rate since 2012,” he said.
He cited a few of the ongoing infrastructure measures in the country, such as the ‘Build, Build, Build’ Program, under which, the Philippine government welcomes more Philippine-Chinese cooperation.
He also shared the recent launching of the Philippine construction industry’s roadmap – the first Philippine construction mission in China – that aims to benchmark in digital building technologies to be able to deliver quality construction in the most efficient and effective manner.
“More importantly, they are here because they are eager to partner with you in creating new and sustainable construction technologies and solutions given your know-how,” the President added, stating that the Philippine construction industry can offer its Chinese counterparts the benefits of potential trading arrangements with various economies, especially with the United States and the European Union.
“We therefore have a win-win situation here and we invite you all to take advantage of it fully,” President Duterte stressed.
The Chief Executive also talked on other Philippines-China partnership in the construction industry, such as steel production, manufacturing, agriculture, and services for the development of industrial parks.
“Rest assured that my government is committed in maintaining an environment that allow businesses to thrive,” he continued.
Earlier in the day, the President held a bilateral meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang where they discussed other Philippines-China initiatives to further intensify economic ties between the two nations.
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