P-Noy to take Great Wall tour

BEIJING – A tour of China’s premier historic wonders – the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City – will be one of the highlights of President Aquino’s four-day state visit here, which begins tomorrow.

Aquino and his delegation are scheduled to arrive at the Capital Airport here tonight on a special Philippine Airlines commercial flight (PR001).

From the airport, the President and his delegation will proceed to the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse where he will stay for the duration of his state visit, which will also take him to Shanghai on Friday and Xiamen on Saturday.

The Diaoyutai State Guesthouse is located in the Haidan district in Beijing, and was the site of the favorite fishing spot of Emperor Zhangzong. “Diaoyutai” means “angling platform.”

Philippine embassy charge d’affaires Alex Chua said the President is set to visit the Great Wall on Thursday, particularly the Badaling section, as advised by Chinese officials. The Badaling section is approximately 80 kilometers northwest from the center of this city.

“The Badaling section of the Great Wall is the best preserved and the most popular among all the sections. It is more than 1,000 meters above sea level, and commands a strategic position for transportation and defense in ancient times. Badaling, literally meaning ‘reach eight directions,’ got its name because the maze of its ridges stretches in all directions. It is easily accessible and has easy walking conditions,” Chua said.

Chua said about 400 state leaders and famous personalities have climbed Badaling and admired the magnificence and beauty of its scenery.

On Feb. 24, 1972, the site was visited by then US President Richard Nixon and his wife during his historic journey to China. The US First Couple was accompanied by Vice Premier Li Xiannian in touring the site. President Barack Obama, who also visited Badaling on Nov. 18, 2009, called the structure “spectacular.”

After the Great Wall, Aquino will visit the Forbidden City, commonly known in Chinese as Gugong or the “Former Palace.”

“The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of (this city) and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost 500 years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government. Built in 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms,” Chua said.

The President will visit the Forbidden City’s three main halls where national treasures are displayed. An interpreter will be on hand to brief the President on the history and significance of the Forbidden City.

Before he leaves the Forbidden City, the President will be requested to write a message about his visit.

Since 1925, the Forbidden City has been under the charge of the Palace Museum which houses an extensive collection of artworks and artifacts from the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Formal meetings

The President’s itinerary tomorrow begins with separate meetings at the China World Hotel with heads and executives of the Energy World, the State Grid of China Corporation/National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, China Trend/China Investment Corporation/China Petroleum, and Department of Public Works and Highways-led Chinese contractors.

He will also have a brief meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan. After his meeting with Wang, Aquino will deliver a keynote speech before the Philippines-China Economic and Trade Forum.

At the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, the President will be interviewed by Yang Rui and Yang Lan of the CCTV Dialogue.

Chinese President Hu Jintao will officially welcome Aquino at the Great Hall of the People. The two leaders will later hold a bilateral meeting.

Aquino and Hu are also expected to witness the signing of agreements on trade, economic and technical cooperation, media, sports, culture and information, among others.

In the evening, the President will attend a state banquet at the Great Hall of the People to be hosted by the Chinese president.

He will also meet with the Filipino community in Beijing to personally check on their condition and to inform them of the positive developments in the Philippines under his administration.

There are close 2,500 Filipinos in Beijing and neighboring cities and provinces working as professionals and household employees.

The President will also drop by at a dinner to be hosted by the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines for the 270 businessmen in Aquino’s delegation.

Aquino is also expected to meet separately with officials of other Chinese business groups, namely the Lee World, China ASEAN Fund, Dong Feng, Shandong Sanli Tires, and Dungfeng.

Before leaving for Shanghai, the President will meet with Chairman Wu Bangguo of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and with Premier Wen Jiabao.

China is the Philippines’ third largest trading partner and the fastest growing source of tourists.

Chua said the visit of Aquino would underpin the “strong and friendly relations between the Philippines and China.”

He said that Aquino and Hu will have the chance to exchange views on Philippines-China relations from a “strategic and comprehensive viewpoint and in a spirit of mutual respect.”

“The two leaders will declare their commitment to boost contacts at all levels, maintain close communication and coordination, and expand channels of exchanges and cooperation as they chart the future course for bilateral ties,” Chua said.

“The support of the Philippine and Chinese leaderships to business-to-business ties will serve as an empowering influence to the decision of the business communities to forge mutually-beneficial partnerships. We are neighbors and a strong economic partnership between our businesses sectors will bring both of our peoples tremendous benefits,” he added.

Territorial row

Earlier, President Aquino assured visiting Chinese journalists that disputes over territories, particularly the Spratly Islands,

will not stand in the way of the 36-year old bilateral relations between the Philippines and China.

“Both would want to champion the national interests, but at the same time we are cognizant of the interest of the other party. So there is a willingness to explore all of these possibilities,” read part of the transcript of Aquino’s interview with Chinese reporters last Friday at Malacañang. 

“I don’t see why the relationship would be sabotaged. I don’t think that it redounds to anybody’s interest to have conflict within these disputed areas,” Aquino explained.

The Chinese media’s interview with Aquino touched on various issues from trade, culture to the disputed Spratly islands.

In the interview, the President stressed that the dispute over Spratlys can be resolved peacefully since both the Philippines and China “conform to the international law with regards to the South China Sea (or West Philippine Sea) issue.”

“Both countries want to resolve it in a peaceful manner,” Aquino stressed. “And, I guess, perhaps I can use the analogy of marriage. It is said that there are couples who have been together for 50 years and they are still getting to know each other. So, perhaps the conflicts provide an opportunity also to have the test that makes for a stronger relationship,” Aquino said.

“And then you have a relationship that stagnates, doesn’t grow, doesn’t mature. And perhaps whenever I’m confronted with a problem, that’s my philosophy, ever since assuming this office that has really been quite a change in my attitude, every problem presents opportunities,” he said.

“And I guess that it is the interest of both sides to exploit the opportunities that the problem presented. And after coming out of the resolution of that problem, then both parties are stronger for it and even the relationship can be enhanced by it,” he said.

“We want to strengthen bilateral relations. We want to try and remove any situations that will induce a conflict between the two countries. We share quite a lot of things. I think for most Filipinos right now, it will very hard to find a Filipino who doesn’t like to (eat) Chinese food,” the President said.

In the same interview, Aquino also said prominent Filipino businessmen – many of whom are of Chinese descent – would join him in his China trip. Filipino taipans led by Lucio Tan, Henry Sy, John Gokongwei and Manny Pangilinan are reportedly among them.

“Practically, all of the major business groups in this country will be with us in the delegation. I really believe that there are comparative advantages towards both economies,” he told the Chinese media. He also thanked China for being the first country to invite him for a state visit.

“If we bring a 300-member delegation, we will be successful already because there are about 450 who want to join. It gets to be more and more difficult to accommodate everybody,” he said.

“Mutually increasing trade redounds to an increase in living standards of both our peoples. That is why I want to do everything possible to further increase that. I also believe that increasing prosperity for both our peoples leads to stable relationships, which is a goal that every country would want to achieve,” he said.

He said a businessman friend had texted him about the prospect of signing three business deals during the visit.

“So that is just a sample. And he is not even one of the biggest taipans in this country,” he said.

“Conclusion of trade agreements among private businesses is just a natural conclusion to the potentials that are already existing,” he added.

“Our goal should not be exclusive of anybody else’s goal,” he said of the objective of his visit.

“Hence, fostering of closer, stronger cultural, economic, political ties will redound to the benefits of both our peoples. So there is the theme: strengthen the ties, gain greater cooperation in so many fields. When I say so many fields, it’s not just limited to the economic side,” he said. With Delon Porcalla