Manila, January 7 (AseanAll) — On January 6th, 2026, the New Year Reception for Business Partners of Chinese Enterprises Philippine Association (CEPA) was held in Manila.
Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines, Jing Quan and the Special Envoy of the President of the Philippines to the People's Republic of China for Trade, Investment, and Tourism, Benito Techico attended, delivered keynote speeches, and presented awards to key Chinese enterprises and outstanding Chinese and Filipino employees of Chinese enterprises. More than 300 people attended, including representatives from relevant Philippine governmental departments, Filipino-Chinese community, business circles, and Chinese enterprises in the Philippines.
Jing Quan stated that China and the Philippines enjoy strong economic complementarity and vast potential for cooperation，while economic and trade cooperation depends on a sound and stable business environment. Joint efforts with the Philippines are strongly needed to address properly the issues and concerns of Chinese enterprises in areas of work visa, as well as tax and customs inspections, and consequently to foster a business environment that is fair, transparent, safe, stable, predictable and sustainable.
Jing Quan pointed out that economic and trade cooperation hinges on stable bilateral relations. Being a friend of China does not prevent the Philippines from also being a friend of the US, and vice versa. This is not a zero-sum game. The Philippines doesn’t need to choose sides between China and the US, and can perfectly develop stable relations with both countries at the same time like other ASEAN member states. This approach best serves the Philippines’ fundamental and long-term interests. If the maritime differences are effectively managed, exchanges between China and the Philippines continue to expand, and relations improve steadily, then both countries will be better able to focus energy on advancing mutually beneficial cooperation with stronger confidence, thus delivering more tangible benefits to the two peoples. It is hoped that the bilateral relations between China and the Philippines will return to the right track in the year to come.
