FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario has recommended to President Benigno S. Aquino III the designation of Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas as his Special Envoy to the 9th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) to be held from Sept. 21 to 25 in Nanning, China, a press release by the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
VERA Files reported Wednesday about China’s invitation to Roxas to attend the China-ASEAN Expo.
CAEXPO, co-sponsored by China and ASEAN, is an international event held annually since 2004 with the objective of promoting the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA). The CAEXPO is an excellent platform for cooperation in the fields of infrastructure investment, trade and tourism, among others.
The Chinese Government had earlier requested the Philippines to send a high-level delegation to the CAEXPO.
China’s Vice President Xi Jinping is attending the CAEXPO. The president of Myanmar, prime ministers of Laos and Vietnam and the deputy prime ministers of Malaysia and Thailand are expected to attend the CAEXPO.
Del Rosario’s recommendation is based on the Philippines being the Country of Honor in the next year’s CAEXPO. Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda was likewise recommended by the DFA to join the other members of the Philippine delegation to the CAEXPO.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is making arrangements for Roxas and the Philippine delegation to meet with high-level Chinese officials.
