Your Excellency, Ambassador Wu Hongbo,
Your Excellency, Ambassador Teofisto Guingona,
Excellencies,
Spouses of Ambassadors,
Colleagues in the Department of Foreign Affairs,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good Afternoon.

Thirty years ago, the Republic of the Philippines and the People’s Republic of China formally established full diplomatic relations.

It was a milestone in the history of both countries. It rekindled an old friendship. It marked the beginning of a new bond – more mature, responsible and mutually rewarding.

Today the Philippines and China are closer than ever, enjoying a dynamic bilateral relationship and partnership in regional and global concerns affecting both countries, the region and, in many ways, the rest of the world.

In the past three decades, the bond between the Philippines and China has evolved from one of cordial exchanges to one of vibrant political and economic partnership.

To achieve this unprecedented cordial cooperation and relationship between our two countries, credit in no small measure belongs to those who nurtured and strengthened the bonds in their respective posts in both countries.

Several of these diplomats are here with us around this table.

Let me call them one by one:

The former Ambassadors of China to the Philippines:

I will call Ambassador Ke Hua because he’s supposed to be here, but he’s 93 years old; he was not able to make it here, but at any rate, let’s give him a big hand.  Ambassador Chen Songlu, Ambassador Wang Yingfan, Ambassador Huang Guifang and Ambassador Guan Dengmin.
 

Our former Ambassadors to China:

Ambassador Philip Mabilangan, Ambassador Romualdo Ong, Ambassador Josue Villa and Ambassador Rafael Gonzales, who also was the first chargé at the Embassy in 1975.

I am very honored to be in the distinguished company of these diplomats of the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of the Philippines who nurtured Philippines-China relations in the past thirty years through its challenges and promise.

This is a gathering of the hands and minds that helped transform our bilateral ties from its tentative steps in its early days to what President Arroyo and President Hu Jintao called “the threshold of a golden age of partnership.”

The cooperation between Manila and Beijing covers a very wide spectrum. Consider the following:

In Economic Cooperation

In the area of trade and investment, the People's Republic of China has become the fourth largest trading partner of the Philippines. China has become the fastest growing market for Philippine exports – an activity very vital to our economic lifeline.

Trade has grown since 2002 at an annual rate of 55%. Last year’s bilateral trade hit $13.3 billion. Manila and Beijing have established a goal of $30 billion in trade by the year 2010.

In matters of security and defense, the first Annual Defense and Security Dialogue between Manila and Beijing was concluded last month.

On the South China Sea, our two countries, together with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, signed in March of this year the Tripartite Agreement on Joint Seismic Marine Undertaking.

As Chairman Deng Xiaoping   proposed to our Foreign Secretary in 1986, instead of a zone of conflict, let us transform the zone to an area of cooperation and development.

It took from 1986 to 2005 – 20 years – before finally, in 2004 and in 2005, the dream of having an area of development and peace from an area of conflict became a reality.

The Tripartite Agreement shows the way for other claimant states to the Spratly Archipelago how to peacefully resolve the potentially volatile situation.

The Hu Jintao Visit

The visit of President Hu Jintao to Manila in April 2005 was a milestone in our relationship. It reciprocated the visit of President Arroyo to Beijing last year.

President Hu’s visit also culminated in the signing of 10 bilateral agreements and four businessmen agreements that include, in investments, $1.1 billion, and in loans, $524 million.

Huge business and commercial undertakings are in progress owing to the new investment partnership. One is the rehabilitation of the North Railway system that extends the railways service from Metro Manila in Caloocan to Clark Field, Pampanga through Malolos.

The other is the rehabilitation of the Nonoc mine in Surigao del Norte that entails a $300 million investment.

We continue to expand relations from business and trade to a people-to-people exchange.

The Philippines and China are also partners in numerous international fora. Cooperation between Manila and Beijing is growing at the United Nations Security Council, the UN General Assembly, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Plus 3, the ASEAN Regional Forum, the APEC and the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asia Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), to which China has expressed its desire to participate.

I am pleased to add that Philippine-China cooperation in the UN Security Council has led to the passage of many forward-looking resolutions with very positive impact on global affairs. The People’s Republic of China has long been a permanent voting member of the Security Council. The Philippines as a nonpermanent member, has served as presiding president last year, and again, we look forward to its presiding as president during the UN’s 60th in September this year.

At the APEC, China and the Philippines often find themselves on the same side, speaking for the developing countries and asking for more developmental aid to poor nations.

I believe the Philippines speaks for its regional allies when I say that we find the participation of China in the ASEAN Plus 3 process and the ASEAN Regional Forum very helpful and constructive.

We have called this era in our relations “The Golden Age” for good reasons. Political understanding between the countries has vastly strengthened. Trade and investment opportunities have increased. Cultural exchanges and people-to-people programs are getting better.

Under the leadership of President Arroyo and President Hu Jintao, we can expect the friendship between the Philippines and the Chinese people to grow stronger.

I wish to take this opportunity to thank the Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines, Excellency Wu Hongbo for his rich and tireless contributions to the dynamism of our partnership.

It pleases me to add that we have matched the leadership and experience of Ambassador Wu, as the President has picked a very able statesman, former Vice-President Teofisto Guingona, to be the Philippine ambassador to China.

As the ancient Chinese proverb says:

“If you want one year of prosperity, grow grain.
If you want ten years of prosperity, grow trees.
If you want one hundred years of prosperity, grow people.”

On this 30th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the Republic of the Philippines and the People’s Republic of China, I know that for the next 100 years, the strong bond of friendship between our two peoples ensures peace and prosperity.

May I propose a toast..

To the health of the former Ambassadors of China to the Philippines,

To the health of the former Ambassadors of the Philippines to China,

To the health of President Hu Jintao and President Arroyo,

And to the enduring friendship between our two peoples, the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of the Philippines…

Mabuhay!