Over a plated, eight-course banquet consisting of Szechuan-Western fusion cuisine, the good Ambassador set the tone for a very casual, free-wheeling (read: no-holds-barred) discussion on a range of topics, from the austere (his opinion on the West Philippine Sea maritime row) to the frivolous (his all-time favorite Chinese restaurants in Manila). Incomparably incisive and uncharacteristically gracious, he regaled the group with his intricate knowledge of Geo-political diplomacy, touching on the centuries-old relationship between China and the Philippines, his views on the current Philippine election campaign, and his fervent desire to increase bilateral trade between the two countries. "The Philippines and China have long shared a deep appreciation of our cultures," he said, noting the existence of trade relations even before the advent of the Song Dynasty (宋朝) in the 10th century.
Conversing comfortably in English and Mandarin with the dexterity of a seasoned polyglot, the good Ambassador lauded the Anvil Business Club for its increasing prominence in society, citing its recent efforts to raise its profile beyond the confines of the Chinese-Filipino community. "As young entrepreneurs, you represent the future of your country," he said, "and it is my hope that you will continue to significantly contribute to the progress of your nation as leaders in your respective fields of endeavor."
Accompanied by Chinese Consul-General Qiu Jian (邱 艦) and Economic and Commercial Counselor Jin Yuan (金遠), China's Chief Envoy took to task of his critical role in smoothing Sino-Philippine relations in the wake of the festering row in the West Philippine (South China) Sea. "We do have problems, difficulties, I mean disputes in the South China Sea," he began. "The disputes have been there for decades. China's position on these disputes has been clear and consistent. China has indisputable sovereignty over Nansha (南沙) Islands and adjacent waters. And in the meantime, it has always been China's policy to settle these disputes through peaceful negotiations. The policy is here today and will remain unchanged in the future."
Ambassador Zhao reassured the young group that China will "never resort to military action" no matter how contentious the issues are in the disputed islets, stating that China has never been (and will never be) a military aggressor. "China was once divided by eight countries with their respective spheres of influences; we do not wish to do the same with anyone. Besides, China and the Philippines have always been traditional trading partners and close neighbors," he mused. "In the highly unlikely event that we attack the Philippines without provocation, China will be the world's laughing stock! Military conflict is not even being considered as an option in the disputed islands."
The Chinese plenipotentiary shifted his discussion on how he thinks the Philippines can benefit from its current relations with China. "The prime task for both countries is to focus on economic and social developments, for which our peoples, the ordinary working class will benefit," the good Ambassador opined. He believes that the Philippines should look beyond differences and instead address issues which can benefit both countries, citing China's economic status. "China has become a economic giant. In terms of the Gross Domestic Product, we are Number Two in the world now, and we are developing at a rate of 7% growth annually," he said. "So there's great potential for China's economic development, also for enhancing economic and trade relations between our two countries. Sooner or later, the Mainland China will become the Number One trading partner of the Philippines. And as far as investment concerned, we have been encouraging Chinese enterprises to come to the Philippines to invest."
At this point, the good Ambassador offered a few ways where China can help the Philippines. "You know, China is good at infrastructural projects, and so far, as I observe, the Philippines is suffering from the bottleneck of infrastructural projects. That's the area with the greatest investment potential. Another area is tourism; the outbound tourists from China to other countries in the world have exceeded 100 million. I can give you examples: To Thailand, each year we have 4 million Chinese tourists, to Malaysia 4 million, to Indonesia is around 1 million. Those numbers are still increasing. But here in the Philippines, we only have 430,000. You can just imagine, in the future if there are 2 million or 4 million China tourists coming to the Philippines, how big contribution these Chinese tourists will make to the development of the Philippine economy? So those are the areas I think we have great cooperation potentials. That's why I'm quite optimistic about the future of our bilateral relations."
Over the unprecedented, four-hour tête-à-tête with China's top diplomat to the Philippines, the officers of the Anvil Business Club got to know Ambassador Zhao up-close and personal – his favorite pastime – drinking Ti Kuan Yin Tea (鐵觀音茶) while listening to traditional Chinese instrumental music; his savvy appreciation for Chinese culture and the arts; his wealth of knowledge in ancient and modern world history; and his perceptive world-views. The good Ambassador seemed to have enjoyed the Anvil’s company so much that he even took his sweet time touring the delegation around his 5,000-square meter residence. No other organization has enjoyed this much cordial attention from a high-ranking diplomat.
All told, Ambassador Zhao’s wit, charm, and intelligence has given every Anvil member in that room every reason to believe that China-Philippine relations will still go a long way under his astute diplomacy.
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