Honorable Dr. Gina O. Gonong, Undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction, Department of Education of the Philippines,

Dear university presidents, school heads, Confucius Institute directors,

Teachers and students,

Ladies and gentlemen, 

Good afternoon! 

It gives me immense pleasure to participate in today’s event. On behalf of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines, I would like to express my warmest welcome to all the distinguished guests here today. I am also pleased to see that there are so many Filipino students learning the Chinese language and understanding the Chinese culture.

Language is the carrier of culture. As one of the oldest, richest, and most beautiful languages in the world, the Chinese language carries the essence of Chinese culture. It is the language with the largest number of speakers, and has made positive contributions to promoting communication and exchanges among countries around the world. International Chinese language education is an important language and cultural public product that China provides to the world, and an important platform for China to integrate into the world and for the world to better understand China.

International Chinese language education in the Philippines originated from Chinese Education 123 years ago. It has played a vital role in passing on the the Chinese culture among Chinese living in the Philippines. In the past decade, with five Confucius Institutes established in the Philippines and related policies introduced by the Philippines government, Chinese education has gradually been recognized in the mainstream society of the Philippines and incorporated into the K to 12 Basic Education Program. In this process, China has been consistently providing strong support for Chinese education in the Philippines. The Chinese language education system is gradually improved, cultivating reliable Chinese language talents for the economic and social development of the Philippines, and effectively promoting cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and the Philippines.

Last month, the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was successfully held. China will advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. China is committed to building a community with a shared future for mankind. The key is to strengthen exchanges and mutual learning between different cultures, so as to achieve recognition of the value of a community with a shared future for mankind in international exchanges and cooperation. Not long ago, when President Xi Jinping met with President Marcos in Bangkok, he emphasized that both countries should strive to create cooperation highlights, improve the quality of cooperation in four key areas including people-to-people exchanges with more practical measures, so as to strengthen the foundation of China-Philippines friendship. This has further pointed out the direction for deepening people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in the new era.

At the same time, to our dear students, you are in the best of times. I hope that you will aim high, study extensively and practice earnestly. Tell the story of China and China-Philippines cooperation using what you have learned, become an advocate of China-Philippines friendship, and contribute to the friendly cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

Ladies and gentlemen, the time-honored Chinese language is as beautiful as a painting, as melodious as a song, as touching as a poem. I hope everyone can feel the charm of the Chinese language and Chinese culture more deeply through today's event. At the same time, I hope that this exhibition could attract more Philippine people to participate in International Chinese Education in the Philippines and bring it to a higher level. With these efforts, Chinese Education will play a greater role in promoting exchanges and mutual learning between China and the Philippines.

Finally, I wish this event a complete success! Thank you and Mabuhay!