The Overseas Chinese know & are skilful in ways of survival. Today, there is no problem of moving their funds to safety in foreign lands (Asia & the West) by the touch of a computer button. No longer have they to move gold etc. physically. The indigenous governments in the countries (Malaysia & Indonesia) realise they need the expertise, and funds of the hardworking Chinese for their nations' economic progress. Very few local Chinese work in the public/government sectors of these 2 countries, as there can be inherent bias/preferences for promotions etc. Much better for the Chinese to own big or small businesses, or be professionals (doctors, lawyers, bankers etc.).There are some in this blog might have read the history of the PKI (Partai Komunist Indonesia - a good number of Indonesian Chinese were members/supporters) attempted coup in mid-1960s. They were supported by a few Army & Air Force elements, with subtle "blessings" by then President Sukarno who wanted to curtail the powers of the Army. Six Army Generals were murdered, but the coup was crushed by Gen Suharto who eventually succeeded Sukarno as President. Business entrepreneurs like the Chinese tycoon Liem (Salim) and other Indonesian Chinese supported Suharto and prospered, & a good number still do today. As for Malaysia, there were racial riots in 1964 and 1969, between the Malays and Chinese. These serious problems were settled respectively by then PM Tengku Abdul Rahman & PM Tun Razak. They realised it would be major catastrophes for the country if there were continued rioting. This inter-racial animosity was to an extent a carry forward of the MCP (mainly Chinese) who fought the British after WWII, and continued after Malaya gained independence in 1957; and up to the time when Malaysia was formed on 16 September, 1963. The "revolutions" in Malaya/Malaysia like the rest of Southeast Asia were encouraged by Mao, and some stopped around the 1970s. Deng Tsao Ping agreed to curtail support the local communists in Malaysia and Singapore, taking the advise of Lee Kuan Yew when the two met in Singapore. Singapore has always supported China's progress, since the appointment of (former Deputy PM) Goh Keng Swee in 1970s, as the economic advisor to China's first 5 New Economic Zones. This small nation helped built and invested in Suzhou Industrial Park; trained China's Civil Servants in Administrative Management at the Nanyang Tech University. And as recently as the G20 Conference in Hangchou, Singapore PM Lee HL announced new investment/s in China's Industrial Park/s to President Xi. The moral of the story is for China to take the "Owlish" diplomatic approaches for continued good country-relations. Each Southeast Asian country has its national pride & distinct interests, and I am assuming most are willing to work with China, and with all countries that are friendly to them and can be good trading & investment partners. In a globalised world of business, trade/investments are closely linked, and that's why China has the foresight of "One Belt One Road".
China's SCS Strategy Thread
- Thread starter lilzz
- Start date
Just to be clear you are wrong regarding the Cantonese in North America besides comparing apples to oranges comparing the Chinese experience in the US to the Chinese experience in Southeast Asia where there were major differences.
The Cantonese were neither indentured workers nor were they forced to work in building the railroads in North America, economic and political "refugees" by choice, yes. Excluded from the country's political and economic power structure, extreme racial minority, historically alien culture, in a country that was more technologically advanced and more powerful than China, yes and these were not the case in Southeast Asia.
There were three major waves of Cantonese coming to North America. The first was during the gold rush to participate in the gold rush when the situation in China was still relatively stable but had already recently fought and lost the First Opium War.
The second was during the building of the Pacific railroads when they came to work on the railroads as better prospects for making a living when China was about to fight and lose the Second Opium War. The better than expected performance of Chinese workers on the railroads, competition with European heritage workers who had political representation, the effects of the US civil war and its aftermath, and the Chinese workers' significantly different culture compared to the majority of European heritage resulted in widespread anti-Chinese racism which was institutionalized in the Chinese Exclusion Acts. Because of the deteriorating situation in China many chose to stay anyways, found success in establishing laundries and restaurants, and even managed to smuggle in wives to start families.
The third wave was really a trickle growing into a wave through events over a few decades. The institutionalized racism and limits on Chinese immigration on the US side were finally repealed towards the end of the US civil rights movement in the middle of the Cold War, then the US switched recognition from the ROC to the PRC, and then the UK agreed to return Hong Kong to the PRC.
This is not counting the Cantonese among the latest wider wave of PRC immigration to the US since perhaps the mid-2000's which is ongoing.
Hendrik_2000
Lieutenant General
Sorry I don't meant to denigrate Cantonese But my post is in response to Gordon Chang anti China diatribe.which I attribute to self hate and lack of pride
I try to understand the lack of self pride in some ABC which is in contrast with the Chinese in South East Asia.
Case in point Gordon Chang vs Cory Aquino
Now what you said is all true in short what you are trying to say is that the Chinese cannot or retarded in reaching its full potential because of political interference.
Now that is completely different experience in South East Asia
There the colonial power need the Chinese because their main goal is to trade. Now how you trade you built port,you built city.create civil servant, built distribution network etc
But there are not too may Dutch, Englishman or Spanish wanting to go to SEA because of malaria,hot and humid.
And the native at that time is not suited for commerce and trade.
So it left to the Chinese to fill the role which they do it brilliantly .
But the colonial power face some dilemma at one hand they need the Chinese but at the same time they don't want them to become too strong.Doesn't it sound familiar to modern world now?
How you solve this problem by unleashing pogrom to remind the Chinese who is the boss.
This practice was copied by the local elite after independence out of selfish motive. They don't want competition.
It is not because of jealously. In the country where is there is no colonial power or the colonial encourage assimilation . There is no pogrom case in point Thailand, Philippine
In other word the people is provoke to eliminate competition. But due to better education and availability of youtube etc, people now know who is right and who is wrong
I try to understand the lack of self pride in some ABC which is in contrast with the Chinese in South East Asia.
Case in point Gordon Chang vs Cory Aquino
Now what you said is all true in short what you are trying to say is that the Chinese cannot or retarded in reaching its full potential because of political interference.
Now that is completely different experience in South East Asia
There the colonial power need the Chinese because their main goal is to trade. Now how you trade you built port,you built city.create civil servant, built distribution network etc
But there are not too may Dutch, Englishman or Spanish wanting to go to SEA because of malaria,hot and humid.
And the native at that time is not suited for commerce and trade.
So it left to the Chinese to fill the role which they do it brilliantly .
But the colonial power face some dilemma at one hand they need the Chinese but at the same time they don't want them to become too strong.Doesn't it sound familiar to modern world now?
How you solve this problem by unleashing pogrom to remind the Chinese who is the boss.
This practice was copied by the local elite after independence out of selfish motive. They don't want competition.
It is not because of jealously. In the country where is there is no colonial power or the colonial encourage assimilation . There is no pogrom case in point Thailand, Philippine
In other word the people is provoke to eliminate competition. But due to better education and availability of youtube etc, people now know who is right and who is wrong
Last edited:
solarz
Brigadier
The media has a short memory and a shorter attention span. Something that happened 4 years ago is ancient history to them, but it would be a mistake to think the public also think that way.
The above article makes no mention of it, but I think we all remember that the PH's loss of the "Scarborough" (Huangyan) Shoal came from the actions of the PH, not China. A PH warship attempted to detain Chinese fishermen operating in the area (something they have done for centuries), and was thwarted by Chinese maritime enforcement ships.
A standoff ensued, where the PH warship faced off against unarmed Chinese vessels. In the end, the PH warship was forced to withdraw and Chinese law enforcement ships assumed full control of the shoal.
The PH warship was forced to withdraw because the PH navy could not keep up its supply, while Chinese law enforcement ships rotated throughout the standoff. Chinese warplanes and submarines watched from the shadows, and the PH warship would only have committed suicide if it tried to open fire.
The lesson here is that war is about more than weapons. Logistics is far more critical, and on that end, the US is thousands of miles away while China is right next door. If an american-built PH warship could not even stand against a couple of unarmed Chinese vessels, what chance did the PH have in a real armed confrontation, even with US support, which has been lukewarm from the start?
It took time, but the ramifications of that incident slowly percolated through the PH public's mind, until it culminated in the election of a president who realizes that the PH had no chance in a war against China, with or without US support.
The US may be able to defeat China militarily, but it doesn't matter if the US or China win a war, either way the PH would lose.
solarz
Brigadier
The US has committed a serious strategic blunder when Hillary Clinton inserted America into the SCS dispute. (In fact, there wasn't even much of a dispute before that.)
Instead of rallying allied countries into a containment circle around China, the US has lost the confidence of its vassal states. The PH is only a symbol: when the PH, who has a defense treaty with the US and hosts US military bases, is pivoting to China, even DPP-ruled Taiwan would be forced to take notice.
In a way, the US lost its sight on the bigger prize. By using the SCS as a wedge issue between the China and its neighboring countries, the US has antagonized Taiwan and forced it to take a diplomatic stance that aligned with the Mainland. This put the anti-Mainland DPP in a very uncomfortable position: either they align with the Mainland or they look weak on sovereignty. Both choices spell out an even more uncomfortable truth regarding the future of Taiwan independence: without the Mainland, Taiwan cannot even defend its sovereignty.
Contrast the era of Chen Shuibian with that of Tsai today. Even the staunchly separatist DPP cannot, once in government, afford to antagonize China. Remember that the US does not care for Taiwan independence. It is only interested in Taiwan as a critical piece of the China containment ring. If Taiwan is unwilling to antagonize the Mainland, then the First Island Chain has become a frayed rope.
The US media talks about recruiting Vietnam into the anti-China camp, but the policy makers probably know better. What chance do you have of attracting new followers when you can't even keep the ones you have?
Even the THAAD maneuver was a double-edged sword. It succeeded in alienating SK from China, but it also resulted in closer cooperation between Beijing and Moscow. The ramifications of that remains to be seen.
Instead of rallying allied countries into a containment circle around China, the US has lost the confidence of its vassal states. The PH is only a symbol: when the PH, who has a defense treaty with the US and hosts US military bases, is pivoting to China, even DPP-ruled Taiwan would be forced to take notice.
In a way, the US lost its sight on the bigger prize. By using the SCS as a wedge issue between the China and its neighboring countries, the US has antagonized Taiwan and forced it to take a diplomatic stance that aligned with the Mainland. This put the anti-Mainland DPP in a very uncomfortable position: either they align with the Mainland or they look weak on sovereignty. Both choices spell out an even more uncomfortable truth regarding the future of Taiwan independence: without the Mainland, Taiwan cannot even defend its sovereignty.
Contrast the era of Chen Shuibian with that of Tsai today. Even the staunchly separatist DPP cannot, once in government, afford to antagonize China. Remember that the US does not care for Taiwan independence. It is only interested in Taiwan as a critical piece of the China containment ring. If Taiwan is unwilling to antagonize the Mainland, then the First Island Chain has become a frayed rope.
The US media talks about recruiting Vietnam into the anti-China camp, but the policy makers probably know better. What chance do you have of attracting new followers when you can't even keep the ones you have?
Even the THAAD maneuver was a double-edged sword. It succeeded in alienating SK from China, but it also resulted in closer cooperation between Beijing and Moscow. The ramifications of that remains to be seen.
Vietnam's balanced approach at play:
Planned visit comes after two U.S. warships docked at Cam Ranh Bay in early October
ENLARGE
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Beijing on September 12. Three Chinese warships will dock at Vietnam’s Cam Ranh Bay naval base on Saturday for a four-day visit. Photo: Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
By
Vu Trong Khanh
Oct. 19, 2016 7:56 a.m. ET
HANOI—Three Chinese warships with 750 sailors on board will dock at Vietnam’s strategic naval base at Cam Ranh Bay on Saturday for a four-day visit, Vietnamese state media reported Wednesday.
This will be the first visit by Chinese warships to the deep-water naval base, the online newspaper VnExpress reported, citing the Department of Foreign Affairs of Khanh Hoa province, where the base is located.
Details of the visit weren’t disclosed.
Early this month, at Cam Ranh Bay, in the first such port call at the naval base since the two countries normalized relations 21 years ago.
Apart from the U.S. warships, vessels from Japan, Russia and France have recently docked there.
Vietnam has made the Cam Ranh Bay base available to visiting foreign navy vessels in an attempt to maintain a strong international presence in the South China Sea amid maritime disputes with China.
During a visit to China by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc last month, the two countries pledged to manage their maritime differences and boost bilateral cooperation, according to the Vietnamese government. China is Vietnam’s largest trading partner.
Last week, Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Le Hai Binh, reaffirmed that Vietnam won’t allow other countries to set up military bases at Cam Ranh Bay. The statement followed Russian media reports that Russia was considering reopening Soviet-era bases in the country.
No hard feelings, thanks for sharing the story of Chinese in Southeast Asia since colonial times. It's important to note that there have been Chinese in Southeast Asia long before colonial times, interacting throughout history more in peace than in conflict, some maintaining their Chinese identity, many assimilating and blending into local society together with their heritages.
With regards to why some ABCs lack self-esteem, some taking on self-hatred and self-racism, note the factors I mentioned in my previous post. In addition to those there are also the specific personal factors in individual cases which often include both personal factors actually related to more general factors as well as personal factors masked by more general factors.
My take would be demographic isolation, personal factors, societal racism, political racism in decreasing order of influence over whether any ethnic minority person in the US becomes self-hating.
Hendrik_2000
Lieutenant General
Thanks for the explanation that is what I thought. Isolation get bullied at school create self hate. Anyway the latest I guess Duterte singlehandedly turn the situation upside down. I guess he is right when he said the relation goes back centuries and a quarter of the population has tie with China. The bond is deep and not easily severed
.
The Latest: Philippines says China's Xi offers $9B in loans
Updated 5:13 am, Thursday, October 20, 2016
Photo: Ng Han Guan, AP
Image 1 of 4
Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, shows the way to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte during a welcome ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016.
BEIJING (AP) — The Latest on Philippine President 's meetings with top officials in China (all times local):
7:40 p.m.
The Philippines says China's president has committed more than $9 billion in low-interest loans to the impoverished Southeast Asian nation in his meeting with the Philippine leader who has set aside territorial disputes in a bid for Beijing's help.
The in Manila said in a statement Thursday that the loans that Chinese leader offered will go toward funding development projects.
The office says about a third of the $9 billion loan offer will come from private banks. About $15 million in loans will go toward drug rehabilitation programs.
___
6 p.m.
Secretary says his country and China will sign $13.5 billion of deals during his president's visit to China this week.
Lopez was speaking Thursday at a business forum in Beijing attended by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and various Chinese and Filipino officials.
The forum followed meetings between Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who hailed the Southeast Asian nation leader's visit as being of "milestone significance."
Earlier in the day, the leaders oversaw the signing of agreements that touched on the financing of infrastructure projects, boosting trade and tourism, lifting export restrictions and other issues.
Duterte has sought China's help by setting aside the thorny issue of territorial disputes.
___
3:20 p.m.
A Chinese senior diplomat says Chinese President Xi Jinping and Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte did not discuss whether China would allow Filipino fishermen to return to Scarborough Shoal, an outcome likely to disappoint the Southeast Asian country.
Scarborough Shoal is the fishing ground China seized in 2012 that is the crux of the China-Philippines territorial dispute. An international tribunal found the Philippines and China both retained traditional fishing rights in the area.
Before his trip to China, Duterte said he would ask Beijing to allow Filipino fishermen to again operate in the area.
Vice Minister also says China will lift restrictions on imports of tropical fruit from the Philippines and also cancel a travel advisory that had discouraged Chinese tourists from going to the Philippines.
___
3 p.m.
After Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping wrapped up their talks, the two leaders oversaw the signing of 13 documents.
The documents covered cooperation in economic, cultural, tourism, trade, anti-narcotics and maritime affairs, including the setting up of a joint committee between their coast guards.
Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin also says the two sides are restoring diplomatic and "defense security" discussions, without elaborating.
After Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping wrapped up their talks, the two leaders oversaw the signing of 13 documents.
The documents covered cooperation in economic, cultural, tourism, trade, anti-narcotics and maritime affairs, including the setting up of a joint committee between their coast guards.
Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin also says the two sides are restoring diplomatic and "defense security" discussions, without elaborating.
Officials signed a memorandum of understanding on a number of infrastructure projects for which China would provide financing. No details were provided.
___
2 p.m.
A senior Chinese diplomat says his country and the Philippines have agreed to resume a bilateral dialogue on their dispute over the South China Sea, in what appears to be a diplomatic victory for Beijing several months after being handed a defeat by an international tribunal.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin told reporters: "Both sides agreed that the South China Sea issue is not the sum total of the bilateral relationship."
He adds that the leaders only touched on the topic briefly during their talks.
Liu says the two sides agreed to return to the approach used five years ago of seeking a settlement through bilateral dialogue.
Such an approach had been suspended after China seized control of the Scarborough Shoal and the Philippines launched the tribunal arbitration process.
___
1:05 p.m.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has hailed a warming of relations with China as "springtime" as he thanked Chinese leader Xi Jinping for his country's hospitality and said relations between the countries go back centuries.
Duterte says: "China has been a friend of the Philippines and the roots of our bonds are very deep and not easily severed."
"Even as we arrive in Beijing, close to winter, this is a springtime of our relationship."
Xi and Duterte's talks began after the Southeast Asian leader was greeted by Xi with full military honors at the Great Hall of the People, the seat of the ceremonial legislature in the heart of Beijing.
Duterte has walked a tightrope in trying to mend damaged relations with China while defending his country's claims in the disputed South China Sea.
___
12:30 p.m.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, in meeting with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, remarked that this was the first meeting between the two leaders since ties began improving following Duterte's election.
Xi says: "This truly has milestone significance for China-Philippine relations."
In a reference to recent territorial tensions in the South China Sea, Xi said that "although we have weathered storms, the basis of our friendship and our desire for cooperation has not changed."
Xi also extended his sympathies to Duterte over the destruction caused by Typhoon Haima, which has killed at least four people in the northern Philippines.
The two leaders are due to oversee the signing of a raft of agreements between their governments following their discussions.
.
The Latest: Philippines says China's Xi offers $9B in loans
Updated 5:13 am, Thursday, October 20, 2016
Photo: Ng Han Guan, AP
Image 1 of 4
Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, shows the way to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte during a welcome ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016.
BEIJING (AP) — The Latest on Philippine President 's meetings with top officials in China (all times local):
7:40 p.m.
The Philippines says China's president has committed more than $9 billion in low-interest loans to the impoverished Southeast Asian nation in his meeting with the Philippine leader who has set aside territorial disputes in a bid for Beijing's help.
The in Manila said in a statement Thursday that the loans that Chinese leader offered will go toward funding development projects.
The office says about a third of the $9 billion loan offer will come from private banks. About $15 million in loans will go toward drug rehabilitation programs.
___
6 p.m.
Secretary says his country and China will sign $13.5 billion of deals during his president's visit to China this week.
Lopez was speaking Thursday at a business forum in Beijing attended by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and various Chinese and Filipino officials.
The forum followed meetings between Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who hailed the Southeast Asian nation leader's visit as being of "milestone significance."
Earlier in the day, the leaders oversaw the signing of agreements that touched on the financing of infrastructure projects, boosting trade and tourism, lifting export restrictions and other issues.
Duterte has sought China's help by setting aside the thorny issue of territorial disputes.
___
3:20 p.m.
A Chinese senior diplomat says Chinese President Xi Jinping and Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte did not discuss whether China would allow Filipino fishermen to return to Scarborough Shoal, an outcome likely to disappoint the Southeast Asian country.
Scarborough Shoal is the fishing ground China seized in 2012 that is the crux of the China-Philippines territorial dispute. An international tribunal found the Philippines and China both retained traditional fishing rights in the area.
Before his trip to China, Duterte said he would ask Beijing to allow Filipino fishermen to again operate in the area.
Vice Minister also says China will lift restrictions on imports of tropical fruit from the Philippines and also cancel a travel advisory that had discouraged Chinese tourists from going to the Philippines.
___
3 p.m.
After Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping wrapped up their talks, the two leaders oversaw the signing of 13 documents.
The documents covered cooperation in economic, cultural, tourism, trade, anti-narcotics and maritime affairs, including the setting up of a joint committee between their coast guards.
Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin also says the two sides are restoring diplomatic and "defense security" discussions, without elaborating.
After Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping wrapped up their talks, the two leaders oversaw the signing of 13 documents.
The documents covered cooperation in economic, cultural, tourism, trade, anti-narcotics and maritime affairs, including the setting up of a joint committee between their coast guards.
Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin also says the two sides are restoring diplomatic and "defense security" discussions, without elaborating.
Officials signed a memorandum of understanding on a number of infrastructure projects for which China would provide financing. No details were provided.
___
2 p.m.
A senior Chinese diplomat says his country and the Philippines have agreed to resume a bilateral dialogue on their dispute over the South China Sea, in what appears to be a diplomatic victory for Beijing several months after being handed a defeat by an international tribunal.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin told reporters: "Both sides agreed that the South China Sea issue is not the sum total of the bilateral relationship."
He adds that the leaders only touched on the topic briefly during their talks.
Liu says the two sides agreed to return to the approach used five years ago of seeking a settlement through bilateral dialogue.
Such an approach had been suspended after China seized control of the Scarborough Shoal and the Philippines launched the tribunal arbitration process.
___
1:05 p.m.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has hailed a warming of relations with China as "springtime" as he thanked Chinese leader Xi Jinping for his country's hospitality and said relations between the countries go back centuries.
Duterte says: "China has been a friend of the Philippines and the roots of our bonds are very deep and not easily severed."
"Even as we arrive in Beijing, close to winter, this is a springtime of our relationship."
Xi and Duterte's talks began after the Southeast Asian leader was greeted by Xi with full military honors at the Great Hall of the People, the seat of the ceremonial legislature in the heart of Beijing.
Duterte has walked a tightrope in trying to mend damaged relations with China while defending his country's claims in the disputed South China Sea.
___
12:30 p.m.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, in meeting with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, remarked that this was the first meeting between the two leaders since ties began improving following Duterte's election.
Xi says: "This truly has milestone significance for China-Philippine relations."
In a reference to recent territorial tensions in the South China Sea, Xi said that "although we have weathered storms, the basis of our friendship and our desire for cooperation has not changed."
Xi also extended his sympathies to Duterte over the destruction caused by Typhoon Haima, which has killed at least four people in the northern Philippines.
The two leaders are due to oversee the signing of a raft of agreements between their governments following their discussions.
Equation
Lieutenant General
Thanks for the explanation that is what I thought. Isolation get bullied at school create self hate. Anyway the latest I guess Duterte singlehandedly turn the situation upside down. I guess he is right when he said the relation goes back centuries and a quarter of the population has tie with China. The bond is deep and not easily severed
.
The Latest: Philippines says China's Xi offers $9B in loans
Updated 5:13 am, Thursday, October 20, 2016
View attachment 33261
Photo: Ng Han Guan, AP
Image 1 of 4
Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, shows the way to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte during a welcome ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016.
BEIJING (AP) — The Latest on Philippine President 's meetings with top officials in China (all times local):
7:40 p.m.
The Philippines says China's president has committed more than $9 billion in low-interest loans to the impoverished Southeast Asian nation in his meeting with the Philippine leader who has set aside territorial disputes in a bid for Beijing's help.
The in Manila said in a statement Thursday that the loans that Chinese leader offered will go toward funding development projects.
The office says about a third of the $9 billion loan offer will come from private banks. About $15 million in loans will go toward drug rehabilitation programs.
___
6 p.m.
Secretary says his country and China will sign $13.5 billion of deals during his president's visit to China this week.
Lopez was speaking Thursday at a business forum in Beijing attended by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and various Chinese and Filipino officials.
The forum followed meetings between Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who hailed the Southeast Asian nation leader's visit as being of "milestone significance."
Earlier in the day, the leaders oversaw the signing of agreements that touched on the financing of infrastructure projects, boosting trade and tourism, lifting export restrictions and other issues.
Duterte has sought China's help by setting aside the thorny issue of territorial disputes.
___
3:20 p.m.
A Chinese senior diplomat says Chinese President Xi Jinping and Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte did not discuss whether China would allow Filipino fishermen to return to Scarborough Shoal, an outcome likely to disappoint the Southeast Asian country.
Scarborough Shoal is the fishing ground China seized in 2012 that is the crux of the China-Philippines territorial dispute. An international tribunal found the Philippines and China both retained traditional fishing rights in the area.
Before his trip to China, Duterte said he would ask Beijing to allow Filipino fishermen to again operate in the area.
Vice Minister also says China will lift restrictions on imports of tropical fruit from the Philippines and also cancel a travel advisory that had discouraged Chinese tourists from going to the Philippines.
___
3 p.m.
After Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping wrapped up their talks, the two leaders oversaw the signing of 13 documents.
The documents covered cooperation in economic, cultural, tourism, trade, anti-narcotics and maritime affairs, including the setting up of a joint committee between their coast guards.
Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin also says the two sides are restoring diplomatic and "defense security" discussions, without elaborating.
After Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping wrapped up their talks, the two leaders oversaw the signing of 13 documents.
The documents covered cooperation in economic, cultural, tourism, trade, anti-narcotics and maritime affairs, including the setting up of a joint committee between their coast guards.
Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin also says the two sides are restoring diplomatic and "defense security" discussions, without elaborating.
Officials signed a memorandum of understanding on a number of infrastructure projects for which China would provide financing. No details were provided.
___
2 p.m.
A senior Chinese diplomat says his country and the Philippines have agreed to resume a bilateral dialogue on their dispute over the South China Sea, in what appears to be a diplomatic victory for Beijing several months after being handed a defeat by an international tribunal.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin told reporters: "Both sides agreed that the South China Sea issue is not the sum total of the bilateral relationship."
He adds that the leaders only touched on the topic briefly during their talks.
Liu says the two sides agreed to return to the approach used five years ago of seeking a settlement through bilateral dialogue.
Such an approach had been suspended after China seized control of the Scarborough Shoal and the Philippines launched the tribunal arbitration process.
___
1:05 p.m.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has hailed a warming of relations with China as "springtime" as he thanked Chinese leader Xi Jinping for his country's hospitality and said relations between the countries go back centuries.
Duterte says: "China has been a friend of the Philippines and the roots of our bonds are very deep and not easily severed."
"Even as we arrive in Beijing, close to winter, this is a springtime of our relationship."
Xi and Duterte's talks began after the Southeast Asian leader was greeted by Xi with full military honors at the Great Hall of the People, the seat of the ceremonial legislature in the heart of Beijing.
Duterte has walked a tightrope in trying to mend damaged relations with China while defending his country's claims in the disputed South China Sea.
___
12:30 p.m.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, in meeting with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, remarked that this was the first meeting between the two leaders since ties began improving following Duterte's election.
Xi says: "This truly has milestone significance for China-Philippine relations."
In a reference to recent territorial tensions in the South China Sea, Xi said that "although we have weathered storms, the basis of our friendship and our desire for cooperation has not changed."
Xi also extended his sympathies to Duterte over the destruction caused by Typhoon Haima, which has killed at least four people in the northern Philippines.
The two leaders are due to oversee the signing of a raft of agreements between their governments following their discussions.
So much for that "Asia pivot" thang. And it only took a few years and thousands of anti-China articles from the Western media to put that momentum down.
SouthernSky
Junior Member
Well, who didn't see this coming?
Once bitten, twice shy US and allies.
Once bitten, twice shy US and allies.