Welcome Remarks by Ambassador Huang Xilian

At the “Chinese Culture: Museum Night” Event

(Ayala Museum, 6:00 pm, 23 November, 2022)

Your honorable Mr. Ivan John Uy, Secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology,

Your honorable Ma. Christina Garcia Frasco, Secretary of the Department of Tourism,

Your honorable Dr. Rene Escalante, Chairman of the NCCA,

Distinguished Guests and Friends,

It gives me great pleasure to join you here tonight at the “Chinese Culture: Museum Night”, another highlight of China-Philippines cultural and people-to-people exchanges. On behalf of the Chinese Embassy, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the Ayala Museum and all those involved in this event for your continued efforts in promoting China-Philippines ties.

Civilizations become richer and more colorful with exchanges and mutual learning among nations. Such exchanges and mutual learning form an important driver for human progress and global peace and development. The Chinese and Philippine people have long engaged in inter-civilizational exchanges and mutual learning. In ancient times, the Maritime Silk Road that linked the Southern China and Luzon Island, brought ceramics, silk, tea, paintings to the Philippines as well as rest of the world, and witnessed the millennia-old inter-civilizational dialogue in the form of trade and cultural interflow. Chinese people who chose to come and settle down here through the maritime routes in ancient and modern times have made imporant contributions to the national independence and economic and social development of this country. They have become an inseparable part of the Philippine society, envoys of Chinese culture and bond between China and the Philippines.Today, cooperation and exchanges between our two countries in various fields are bringing us ever closer with deepened mutual understanding and enduring friendship.

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

Under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Philippines relations are now facing new opportunities of development. The two sides have identified agriculture, infrastructure, energy and people-to-people exchanges as four priority areas of cooperation, in a bid to become good neighbors, good relatives and good partners and usher in a new “golden age” of our bilateral relations. Not long ago, in his meeting with Philippine President Marcos Jr. In Bangkok, President Xi Jinping noted that the two sides need to take more concrete steps to increase people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cement public support for China-Philippines friendship. This meeting has shed light on the future course of the mutual learning and exchanges between our two countries.

Last month, the twentieth National Congress of the Communist Party of China was successfully concluded. China is now moving forward on a new journey towards building a modern socialist country in all respects, and is advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. Chinese modernization is a modernization of material and cultural-ethical advancement. On the way forward, we are committed to deepening exchanges and mutual learning with other civilizations and better presenting Chinese culture to the world. I believe that people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and the Philippines enjoy a bright future, which will consolidate public support for enduring friendship between our two countries.

I wish the “Chinese Culture: Museum Night” event a great success! Thank you.