Saturday, April 12, 2014

ANVIL BUSINESS CLUB MEETS THE CHINESE AMBASSADOR


Officers of the Association of Young Filipino-Chinese Entrepreneurs (Anvil Business Club) paid a courtesy call to the newly-installed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of the Philippines Zhao Jianhua (趙鑒華) as the latter warmly received the delegation in a one-hour, exclusive dialogue. The new Ambassador urged the members of the Anvil Business Club to marshal their resources in further improving the country's economy through their individual enterprises. A strong advocate of ethnic integration, he encouraged the young business leaders to be more involved in the country's mainstream society; and, as Filipinos of Chines e descent imbibed with a rich Chinese heritage, to stay true to their mission of being the bridge between the Philippines and China. He expressed his confidence that, with unified efforts of young Filipino-Chinese entrepreneurs passionately dedicated to the pursuit of nation-building, the Philippines will soon rise to be an economic power in the near future. Both sides also exchanged views on China-Philippines relations and the South China Sea issue. Ambassador Zhao reiterated the relevant principled position of the Chinese government. He emphasized that China attaches importance to its relations with the Philippines, having been close partners for the past 1,700 years. "The current difficulties in the bilateral relations," he said, "caused by some problems including the arbitration case on the South China Sea issue, are not what the Chinese side wishes to see, and are not in the common interests of both China and the Philippines. It is China's hope that the Philippine side could, in the spirit of seeking common grounds while shelving differences, work with the Chinese side to properly handle relevant disputes, and to overcome obstacles and bring the bilateral ties back to the normal track of development." The good Ambassador is no stranger as a career diplomat. Before his posting in the Philippines, he served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Liberia from 2010 to 2013, where he brought great dynamism in bilateral relations between the two countries, and successfully sought new avenues of cooperation to support Liberia’s reconstruction and development. He also has had extensive international policy experience in Thailand, Great Britain, Northern Ireland, and Lebanon, serving in various capacities as Counselor, Attaché, and Secretary, representing China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Fluent in both Chinese and English, Ambassador Zhao completed his Masters in World Economy at the Nankai University (南開大學) based in Tianjin (天津), China, and pursued his Masters in International Policy and Practice at the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University in Washington, D.C., United States.