Chinese foreign minister to visit Manila April 21-23

MANILA, Philippines — Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister (SCFM) Qin Gang will make an official visit to the Philippines this week, the Chinese embassy in Manila announced yesterday.

Qin’s visit from April 21 to 23 will be his first official engagement with the Philippines since his appointment as both foreign minister and state councilor in late December 2022 and early last month, respectively.

The embassy said the official visit upon the invitation of Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo continues the series of high-level interactions between the Philippines and China this year, following President Marcos’ state visit to China in early January.

Manalo and Qin will exchange views on the outcomes of the Philippine-China Foreign Ministry Consultations and Bilateral Consultations Mechanism on the South China Sea that were held back-to-back in Manila last month.

Qin is set to meet Manalo in their first in-person meeting.

The two foreign ministers will discuss ways forward in the implementation of the agreements reached at the highest levels during the meeting between Marcos and Chinese President Xi Jinping last Jan. 4.

In particular, both sides will discuss increasing and strengthening cooperation in the fields of agriculture, trade, energy, infrastructure and people-to-people relations, among others.

“They will also discuss regional security issues of mutual concern,” the embassy said in a statement.