30 April 2004 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert today said that efforts to further develop the economy of Mindanao received an important boost with the visit of a fourteen-person delegation from China’s Trade and Foreign Ministry and the Chinese business sector to Mindanao on 24 April 2004.

“This delegation helped to improve the groundwork for greater economic activity in Mindanao, particularly the areas covered by the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).  The Chinese delegation met with Mindanao’s local government officials and the
business sector. The visit is part of a tour of the BIMP-EAGA from 13-29 April, which was conducted for the purpose of identifying trade and investment opportunities between China and the four EAGA countries,” Secretary Albert said.

The delegation visited Davao City on 24 April where they met with officials and members of the local Chambers of Commerce and Government led by Presidential Advisor for Mindanao, Secretary Paul Dominguez, Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo) Chairman Jesus Dureza and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. China’s interests in Mindanao are in the areas of (1) food-processing, (2)
fisheries; (3) mining and (4) agriculture. The delegation also traveled to Palawan and met with local officials to discuss business ventures to promote eco-tourism.

The Mission also met with Trade Secretary Cesar Purisima, House Speaker Jose De Venecia and DFA Undersecretary Sonia C. Brady.

“The culminating activity for the Delegations was a wrap-up session which was hosted by the DFA that enabled the delegates to share their insights on their tour of the sub-region and the outcome of their meetings with the members of the business sectors. Concerned officials and ASEAN Embassy Representatives were invited to attend the session,” Secretary Albert said.

The Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo), in coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China and the Department of Trade and Industry organized the activities for the Philippine leg of the China Mission’s visit.

Equally important, the 5th ASEAN China Joint Cooperation Committee (ACJCC) will hold its regular meeting in Beijing, China on 30 April to discuss cooperative activities between ASEAN and China. The ACJCC was established in 1997 for the purpose of further strengthening the level of cooperation between the two parties by consolidating economic and functional cooperation, and promoting cooperation in human resources development, people-to-people contact and cultural exchanges.  It is expected that China’s commitment to supporting the development of BIMP-EAGA will be discussed at the meeting.

The BIMP-EAGA was formally launched in 1994 as a means of promoting sub-regional economic activities led by the private sector and with the assistance of local governments, but implementation of planned activities was shelved due to the financial crisis in 1997. For the Philippines, the scheme is significant as it allows direct cross-border trade, thereby hastening Mindanao’s economic development. Recent achievements of the BIMP-EAGA include the establishment of transport linkages, and the initiative to harmonize the Customs, Immigration, Quarantine and Security (CIQ-S) rules, regulations and procedures in the sub-region.

In line with President Arroyo’s initiatives to revive BIMP-EAGA, DFA, has taken the lead to promote BIMP-EAGA and seek support from ASEAN dialogue partners. As a result of this effort, BIMP-EAGA is a priority area of cooperation in ASEAN-China and ASEAN-Japan relations. END.