Ambassador Erlinda Basilio met with Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Vice Governor Zhang Xiaoqin on 3 April to discuss how the Philippines and Guangxi can deepen their economic cooperation.  Ambassador Basilio conveyed the message of friendship of President Aquino, and stressed the importance of reaching out to local governments in order to communicate the President’s message of peace and friendship to all of China.

Ambassador Basilio encouraged Vice Governor Zhang to look at maritime connectivity projects with ASEAN archipelagos like the Philippines.  Port cooperation, shipping routes and people-to-people contacts through stronger tourism cooperation would cement this connectivity between the Philippines and Guangxi province.  Both sides should also consider establishing further sister city arrangements, especially between port cities. Ambassador Basilio observed that Guangxi’s strategic location as ASEAN’s door into China, particularly to southwestern and western China, is very attractive to the business sector.  Ambassador Basilio also noted how uniquely placed Guangxi is in strengthening tourism and people-to-people cooperation, as the province hosts several of China’s most famous and most visited tourism sites like Guilin.

Vice Governor Zhang briefed Ambassador Basilio on ASEAN-China and Philippines-China economic ties, saying that the annual China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) in September has been an important platform for increasing the volume of trade and investment cooperation.  Vice Governor Zhang conveyed the desire to ensure a successful CAEXPO with the Philippines as the CAEXPO country of honor in 2013.  This year’s CAEXPO is very meaningful as it is CAEXPO’s 10th year anniversary, and the 10th anniversary of the ASEAN-China strategic partnership.

After nine consecutive and successful years, the CAEXPO now sees a booming ASEAN-China trade, which stands at US$500 bn, where ten years ago, it stood at only US$50bn. 

At the end of the meeting, Vice Governor Zhang presented Ambassador Basilio with a Chinese painting depicting the ten national flowers of the ASEAN countries.  The Philippine sampaguita is painted in the center of the work.  The painting currently hangs in the Narra Room of the Philippine Embassy in Beijing.