Around 110 delegates of the China Changchun Investment and Trade Mission are currently in Cebu. They will be here until next week to showcase their products and to check inevstment opportunities in Central Visayas.
The delegates chose Cebu because of the good impression the island created during the 12th ASEAN summit. Changchun and Cebu have also similarities in their passion for business and entrepreneurial skill.
Let me share with you the welcome message during the press conference which I wrote for my boss:
Honorable guests, ladies and gentlemen, good morning.
First of all, I'm very thankful to the Consulate of the People’s Republic of China in Cebu for making this event possible.
It is an honor and a privilege to welcome all the delegates of the China Changchun Investment & Trade Mission.
No doubt China is the economy to watch. And every country around the world is watching this emerging economic dragon with excitement and awe.
Over the last two decades, China’s rise has been modestly described by many as impressive. The country’s economy continues growing and the impact is increasingly seen and felt outside China especially here in the Philippines.
Changchun City happens to mirror the dynamism and entrepreneurial energy of China.
So, this makes today’s meeting significant.
Since the Philippines opened diplomatic relations to the People’s Republic of China in 1979, our bilateral trade has recorded a steady increase.
Trade relations between our countries have been further enhanced with the opening of the second consulate of China in the Philippines here in Cebu.
Delegates from Changchun City have done well by choosing Central Visayas, particularly Cebu, to hold their trade and investment activity.
Cebu is among the most dynamic and most developed areas in the Philippines. In fact, Cebu is the center of economic activities in the Visayas and Mindanao areas. It is also the second largest economic center in the country.
Central Visayas hosts many industries, including footwear, shipbuilding, IT & IT enabled services, electronics, wearables, mining, food processing, palm oil plantation & processing, marine, houseware and furniture. The region is also a major tourist attraction.
In other words, there are many business areas for serious discussion between Chanchung City and Central Visayas.
Central Visayas offers a wide range of world class amenities, such as luxury hotels, beach resorts, first class restaurants and golf courses.
Bohol, the closest province from Cebu and the 10th largest island in the country, is home of the famous “Chocloate Hills”. Bohol offers clean white sandy beaches, two of the best diving havens in the world and a natural environment rich in flora and fauna, where one can find the tarsier, the smallest monkey in the world..
Bohol, along with Siquijor, is taking-off to become the region’s prime eco-cultural tourist destination.
Bohol’s Investment areas in the identified Special Economic Zone are focused on eco-tourism, light industries and agro-industrial development.
Negros Oriental, on the other hand, boasts not only of natural tourist attractions but also its emerging IT industry. It has recently attracted several Business Process Outsourcing companies.
In closing, let me assure you of one thing: there is no reason why Changchun City and Central Visayas cannot be partners that mutually benefit from each other's trading transactions. And let us bear in mind that there is already so much to gain with the China Changchun Investment and Trade Exhibition held in Cebu.
With that, I hope our delegates’ stay in Cebu will not just be economically productive but also be pleasurable.
Welcome to our beautiful island. Mabuhay!
