‘Fruit’ diplomacy

With the number seven associated as a good luck charm for the family, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) embarked on his seventh trip abroad since getting back at Malacanang Palace on June 30 last year. PBBM flew to China as his first trip abroad this year. Before he left for a state visit in Beijing, PBBM asked every one to “wish me luck on this very important trip that we are taking.”

Like clockwork, PBBM was out of the country barely 48 hours at the most. What could be achieved in that short a period of time? PBBM arrived back in Manila yesterday after completing his whirlwind official activities in China capped by the signing of 14 new bilateral agreements and venture deals between Chinese and Filipino businessmen.

Though spending a day less of the standard duration of state visits, the Philippine President came back with a lot of good news on his latest mission abroad. PBBM reported “fruitful” talks in his face-to-face meetings with top leaders of China.

All in one day, he had meetings one after the other with Li Zhanshu, chairman of the 13th National People’s Congress; Premier Li Keqiang; and, with his counterpart, Chinese President Xi Jinping. The President’s official activities in China were cut to barest minimum but all meetings produced big returns for the country.

As it turned out, it was not a wishful thinking at all.

There are preliminary indications that this would be the case. Malacañang announced that PBBM and President Xi has committed to narrow the trade gap between the two countries that is currently lopsided in favor of China by accepting more high-value agricultural imports from the Philippines. Such frank talk is a very welcome development.

But since we have become a net rice importer, we don’t think we can become a rice exporter again in the near future. Much of smuggled onions, garlic, carrots and other agricultural crops mostly came from China that “unscrupulous” importers bought at much cheaper price.

At his bilateral meeting with Xi, PBBM rightly pointed out to China as now the biggest trading partner of the Philippines. So PBBM talked instead about exporting Philippine fruits like bananas, mangoes and even our exotic durian which the Chinese people has taken fancy. In fact, there is reportedly very high consumer demand in China of our foul-smelling but delectable durian.

It is interesting to note durian from the Philippines is not a traditional Philippine export item. However, it was to our pleasant surprise, it brought home $4.2 billion from China in 2021, per the most recent available records. Should greater “fruit exports” materialize, we can expect a big boost for the agriculture sector.

The agriculture sector has been currently lagging behind services and manufacturing in the mix of our country’s contributors to growth in gross domestic product (GDP). However, the agriculture sector has slightly recovered after dragging down our GDP numbers in the past. This fact is known to then Marcos the presidential candidate during the May, 2022 election campaign period. He thus cashed in to the sorry state then of agriculture as a major concern in his offered program of government.

So for sure, PBBM has done his homework, and has really familiarized himself with the realities of the country’s situation as concurrent Agriculture secretary.

PBBM was earlier quoted as saying he wants to shift Philippines-China relations to a higher gear. Obviously, China appreciates such official gestures and pronouncements. The current state of the economy could really use friendlier relations with China and the potential investments it would bring.

Another notable development in the China visit was PBBM’s raising the plight of Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea with President Xi during their meeting at the Great Hall of the People. In a pre-taped statement to the media delegation that covered his Beijing visit, PBBM announced having agreed “to find a compromise” and find measures that will be beneficial to both sides, especially to Filipino fishermen. This would again go a long way towards improving agricultural productivity.

It was during the Presidency of PBBM’s namesake father under whose administration the Philippine-China bilateral relations were first established in June,1975. It was not the first trip though of PBBM to China. For one, I distinctly recall when he was then the Governor of Ilocos Norte, he joined us among the delegation of government officials and media during the state visit to China of former President Joseph Estrada on May 16 to 20, 2000.

What he could perhaps missed most was the “must” meeting of the visit abroad of President with the Filipino community in the host country. It was scrapped due to strict COVID-19 protocols being imposed by the Chinese government amid their continuing pandemic proportion cases of COVID-related deaths. Big gatherings of people have been re-imposed in China following the steep rise in COVID-19 cases when Beijing abruptly lifted lockdown restrictions around their country last month.

Thus, there was no choice but to do away with the meet-and-greet of PBBM with China-based Filipinos, Philippine Ambassador to China Jaime FlorCruz disclosed. According to him, there are about 14,000 Filipinos in China. Of this total, FlorCruz noted, around 6,000 are living in Beijing. Incidentally, eight Filipinos, who arrived from China from Dec. 27 to Jan. 2 and tested positive for COVID-19, were all unvaccinated.

Hopefully, the “bubble” set up while PBBM and his official delegation were in Beijing kept them safe from COVID infection. But we dare say President Marcos’ trip to Beijing is already a big and unqualified success. President Xi even bandied about having received the Philippine leader as the first state visit that China welcomed this year.

Durian and all, it may be called “fruit” diplomacy in terms of improving bilateral relations tarnished by the thorny West Philippine Sea issue. Let’s just wish there was no stinky, fishy deals that may come out later from his first state visit in China.