Duterte accepts Xi’s invitation to join ASEAN-China summit

By Prince Golez

President Rodrigo Duterte will attend the virtual Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-China Special Summit to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of Dialogue Relations on November 22, a statement from Malacañang said.

Duterte has accepted the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping to join his ASEAN counterparts to take stock of the achievements of ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations over the past three decades and chart the future of the partnership for the next 30 years.

The summit will be co-chaired by Xi and Brunei’s Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, the ASEAN Chair for 2021.

According to the statement, Duterte is expected to articulate Philippine positions on key areas of cooperation and regional issues during the meeting.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, Social Welfare Undersecretary Luzviminda Ilagan, Presidential Assistant for Foreign Affairs Robert E.A. Borje, and Senator Christopher Go are expected to join the President.

“Since establishing the dialogue relationship in 1991, China and the ASEAN have forged the largest trading partnership, the most substantial cooperation partnership and the most dynamic strategic partnership,” the Palace said.

Both sides have also built the biggest free-trade zone among developing countries with bilateral trade volume increasing 85 fold over the past 30 years.

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Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)