PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold a bilateral meeting at the sidelines of the Boao Forum for Asia, an annual gathering of government and business leaders and academics in Asia, an official said Friday.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Manuel Teehankee said the meeting was set for April 10 in the southern island province of Hainan, which has territorial jurisdiction over the disputed waters in the South China Sea.
The BFA is a non-profit organization that hosts high-level forums for government and business leaders and academics in Asia and other areas to share their vision on the most pressing issues. The BFA is modeled after the World Economic Forum held annually in Davos.
Teehankee said Duterte was expected to discuss issues involving the efforts against extremism, terrorism and the cross-border trade in narcotics. Duterte will also address the opening plenary on the same day.
“Addressing the BFA is a singular privilege for the Philippines and a privilege for acknowledging the President’s role and leadership in Asia and the Asean region,” Teehankee said.
“The President sees the goals of the forum as parallel and complementary to his own vision of a developed Philippines and a more prosperous Filipino nation as well as a more prosperous Asean economic region.”
Duterte’s attendance in the Boao Forum will represent his third visit to China since he assumed the presidency in June 2016. He had a landmark meeting with Xi in October 2016 and he also attended the Belt and Road infrastructure forum in Beijing in May last year.
The Philippines’ relations with China have improved under the administration of Duterte, who has put aside the maritime disputes with Beijing in the West Philippine Sea in favor of getting economic assistance and concessions to build the country’s needed infrastructure.
After the Hainan event, Duterte will be in Hong Kong from April 11 to 12 to check on the welfare of the Filipino workers in the bustling Chinese special administrative region. He will return to Manila on April 12.
‘‘He is eager to see and hear firsthand the concerns and the situation of our kababayans in Hong Kong,Teehankee said.
