ASEAN-China week

Our diplomats at the Philippine embassy in China must be constantly walking a tightrope because of the precarious situation between the two countries, no thanks to the prevailing geopolitical tensions.

Just the same, I’ve learned that the embassy, led by Ambassador Jaime FlorCruz, has been busy strengthening ties not only between the two countries but within ASEAN as well.

Recently in China’s Shanxi province, during the ASEAN-China Week last month, the ambassador urged Chinese investors to invest in the renewable energy sector in the Philippines.

He is on the right track in making this pitch. We certainly need investors in this sector, especially with the country’s rising demand for power and the growing preference for green energy.

In his pitch, Ambassador FlorCruz said the Philippines has improved its regulatory environment to attract more foreign businesses.

Against this backdrop, authorities here at home should make sure that investors, indeed, would feel welcome when they decide to expand in the Philippines.

I especially hope that the local government units would be cooperative and welcoming instead of turning off investors with their bureaucratic cobwebs and shakedowns.

Going back to the ASEAN-China week, Ambassador FlorCruz told potential investors that the Philippines’ National Renewable Energy Program sets a target of at least 35 percent renewable energy share in the power generation mix by 2030.

He said the Philippines hopes to increase that share to 50 percent by 2040.

For sure, the renewable energy momentum is growing in the Philippines, with big tycoons joining the bandwagon. More investors, including foreign players, would surely be a big boost to the industry.

With the theme “ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership: Achieving Prosperity through Innovation,” the event gathered government officials, diplomatic envoys and business leaders.

I was not there but my former colleague at The STAR, Reinir Padua or Rhen, who is now third secretary and vice consul, shared with me the latest developments from the embassy in China.

According to the updates sent by Rhen, Ambassador FlorCruz, together with Benito Gosiaco Techico, Special Envoy of the President to China for Trade, Investments and Tourism, and Commercial Consul Glenn Peñaranda presented opportunities in the Philippines.

On tourism promotion, the Philippine team also highlighted tourism destinations in the country so that we may be able to attract our fair share of Chinese tourists.

Ambassador FlorCruz said the country has gained global recognition as a diving destination.

ASEAN biodiversity

Speaking of diving, I also learned that the Philippine embassy in Beijing, in a separate event, also highlighted ASEAN biodiversity. This was during the recent ASEAN Day celebrations, as it assumed the chairmanship of the ASEAN Committee in Beijing.

Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim, executive director of the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity, spoke of the work of the center.

The ASEAN Center for Biodiversity (ACB) is an intergovernmental organization that facilitates cooperation and coordination among ASEAN member-states and with regional and international organizations on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their use.

It is the only ASEAN center hosted by the Philippines.

Dr. Lim shared the center’s work during a reception hosted by the embassy last Aug. 8 to commemorate the 57th founding anniversary of ASEAN.

In his remarks, Ambassador FlorCruz said ASEAN member-states should work together and with the regional block’s partners to provide more support for the conservation of biodiversity in ASEAN.

“We, in ASEAN, need to seek regional and international partnerships to further enhance policy and capacity development, share best practices to conserve, develop and sustainably manage marine, wetlands, peatlands, biodiversity, land and water resources and to explore links between biodiversity and human health,” he said.

Dr. Lim made a very good point when she talked about the need to strike a balance between economic development and biodiversity conservation.

The ASEAN Committee in Beijing is the grouping of ASEAN missions in the Chinese capital. It is currently chaired by the Philippine embassy.

In partnership with the ACB, the Philippine embassy also held an exhibition of photos of ASEAN biodiversity, an array of landscapes and scenes that are testament to ASEAN’s rich and colorful region.

The photos included shots from the Tubbataha Reef, Kyaw Kyaw Winn of Myanmar, Inle Lake Wildlife Sanctuary in Myanmar and Bach Ma National Park in Vietnam.

In these times of heightened geopolitical tensions, I welcome developments like these.

As diplomats from both sides often say, the relationship between countries should not really be confined to or defined by just one aspect or by one problem.

There are many other areas where our ties with China or with the rest of ASEAN can flourish while at the same time resolving sticky geopolitical issues based on mutual respect.

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Email: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen on FB.