On May 15, 2023, the China-Philippines Business Matchmaking Conference was held in Manila, the Philippines. The conference was co-organized by China-ASEAN Business Council, RCEP Industry Cooperation Committee, Dezhou Municipal People’s Government, Philippine Department of Trade and Industry, and Federation of Filipino- Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc.

“In the face of unfavorable factors such as the current international instability and sluggish world economic growth, it is an inevitable choice for China-Philippines to enhance cooperation and fully develop the economic and trade complementarity between the two countries to achieve mutually beneficial development.” China-ASEAN Business Council Executive President and RCEP Industry Cooperation Committee Chairman Xu Ningning said in his speech, “Practice has proved that this economic and trade cooperation has benefited the economic growth of the Philippines.” Since the building of China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, BRI co-construction, and the establishment of China-Philippines relationship of Comprehensive Strategic Cooperation, the scale of trade and investment between the two countries has expanded significantly. China is the largest trading partner of the Philippines. In 2022 and from January to April 2023, the trade volume between China and the Philippines both saw increase of more than 10%.

H.E. Jaime Florcruz, Philippine Ambassador to China, Glenn Penaranda, Assistant Secretary of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry, Zhou Zhiyong, Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister-Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines, Victor Lim, Executive Vice-President of Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc., George T. Barcelon, President of Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Chen Xiaoqiang, Deputy Mayor of Dezhou City, delivered remarks respectively. Representatives of enterprises from China and the Philippines made project promotions.

The matchmaking conference builds a platform for enterprises in China’s Dezhou and in the Philippines to promote practical cooperation through speeches, investment promotions, and face-to-face exchanges. More than 200 entrepreneurs attended the meeting.