Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte and the Chinese Consulate General in Davao City renewed calls for stronger cooperation in trade, infrastructure, tourism, education and technology as the People’s Republic of China celebrated its 77th founding anniversary on Wednesday.
Speaking at the celebration at Acacia Hotel Davao, Duterte said the longstanding China-Philippines relationship has created opportunities for communities, particularly in Davao City and Mindanao.
He said the celebration was an opportunity to reaffirm the two countries’ commitment to “friendship, cooperation, and the common goal of growth and progress.”
“We are grateful to the Consulate General of China in Davao City for your steadfast commitment to nurturing our partnership through years of collaboration, cultural exchange, and shared aspirations all of which have yielded opportunities and unfolded gateways for the benefit of the Filipino-Chinese community here in the city, particularly in infrastructure development, education, economic and trade cooperation, grassroots initiatives, tourism, and technology and innovation,” Duterte said.
He added that the city government of Davao remains committed to projects that support sustainable development and economic progress.
“Know that the city government of Davao shares in your unwavering commitment for meaningful projects and initiatives that contribute to the greater good advancing sustainable development and progress within our respective communities,” he said.
Deputy Consul General Wang Mingqing highlighted the growing economic exchanges between China and the Philippines, citing higher bilateral trade and tourism flows in the first half of 2026.
Mingqing said bilateral trade reached $44 billion during the period, up 21% from the same period last year, with China remaining the Philippines’ largest trading partner for the 10th consecutive year.
He said Chinese visitors to the Philippines increased by 63%, while Filipino visitors to China rose by 49% in the first half of the year.
For Davao and Mindanao, Mingqing cited infrastructure, education and community programs as areas where bilateral cooperation has produced concrete initiatives.
“At the beginning of this year, the Bucana Bridge, built with Chinese aid, was officially handed over to the Philippine side. The opening of the bridge has fulfilled the aspirations of residents on both banks of the river for convenient travel and has injected new vitality into the economic development of the Davao region,” Mingqing said.
He also cited exchanges between Davao City officials and counterparts from China’s Fujian and Yunnan provinces as opportunities to explore further cooperation.
The consulate has supported education programs, donated school supplies, provided 580 wheelchairs in cooperation with the city government of Davao and facilitated free Traditional Chinese Medicine consultations by experts from Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Mingqing acknowledged challenges facing China-Philippines relations but said economic and people-to-people links should remain a foundation for engagement.
“At present, China-Philippines relations face challenges. However, we firmly believe that, given the geographical proximity and cultural affinity between our two countries, peace, mutual benefit, and people-to-people bonds should form the foundation of our bilateral relations,” he said.
He said the consulate would continue strengthening ties with Mindanao.
“The Chinese Consulate General in Davao will continue to uphold the principles of good-neighborliness, and win-win cooperation, further deepen people-to-people exchanges and economic and trade cooperation between China and the Mindanao region, and strive to bring bilateral relations back on track,” Mingqing said.
