QUEZON CITY (PIA) – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. is expected to leave today (January 3) on a scheduled state visit to the People’s Republic of China upon the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping last year.

This will be President Marcos’ first foreign trip for the year and his first bilateral visit to a non-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) country since assuming the Presidency in July.

The state visit is set to reaffirm the “cordial and neighborly” relations between Manila and Beijing as well as to “ensure continuity in many facets of the bilateral relationship and chart new areas of engagement.”

During the visit, about 10 to 14 bilateral agreements are expected to be signed in the areas of trade and investment, agriculture, renewable energy, infrastructure, development cooperation, people to people ties, and maritime security cooperation.

“China imports 70 percent of its nickel ore and concentrates requirements from the Philippines. So, there’s a lot of potential in those sectors,” Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary for Asian and Pacific Affairs Nathaniel Imperial said on the Thursday Press Briefing.

He also stated that they have received an assurance from the Chinese host that all arrangements are being made to ensure the safety of the President and the delegation during the visit.

Currently, some areas of China are having surge in COVID-19 cases. This is why, according to Imperial, there will be a “bubble arrangement” for the Philippine delegation during the trip to minimize exposure to the virus.

Anyone from the Philippine delegation who tested positive while in China will have to isolate and obtain a negative result first before returning to the Philippines.

President Marcos is expected to meet with Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China; Li Keqiang, premier of the People's Republic of China; and Xi Jinping, president of the People's Republic of China.

President Marcos will raise the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue during his state visit. He wants a stable and peaceful situation for the WPS and will continue to uphold sovereignty and sovereign rights during his meetings with the Chinese leaders.

Moreover, to avoid miscalculations in the issues pertaining to the WPS, both sides agreed to the establishment of direct communication between the foreign ministries of both countries at various levels, which will be signed by the secretary of foreign affairs and his counterpart.

President Marcos will not meet with the Filipino community in China due to the current COVID-19 situation there.

The President will be joined by First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy, other members of the Cabinet and members of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII). (PIA-NCR)