BEIJING, CHINA—As part of its renewed friendship and deeper bilateral ties, President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jin Ping witnessed the signing of three agreements following an expanded bilateral meeting between the two leaders.

The signing of the agreements was held at the Great Hall of the People on Monday, May 15.

The first to be signed was the Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the People’s Republic of China.

It was signed by the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) of the People’s Republic of China.

The Agreement will serve as the basis for the grant to be provided by China to the Philippines, to implement the grant of RMB 500 million to conduct feasibility studies for major projects, construction of the drug abuse treatment and rehabilitation center and bridges crossing the Pasig River.

President Duterte and President Xi likewise witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cooperation in Human Resource Development between the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China.

The MOU will serve as the framework for the Philippines and China to strengthen cooperation in human resource development and promoting personnel exchanges.

The MOU was signed between the National Economic and Development Authority as well as Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China.

The third agreement signed was the Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Energy Administration of the People’s Republic of China on Energy Cooperation.

According to the Department of Energy, the objective of the MOU on Energy Cooperation between the Philippines and China is aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the electric power, oil and natural gas sectors, and others, as mutually agreed.

The last MOU signed was the Memorandum of Understanding between the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) and China International Publishing Group of the People’s Republic of China on News and Publishing.

The MOU aims to serve as an implementing arrangement between the Philippines and China based on the Memorandum of Agreement between the Presidential Communications Operations Office of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China on News and Information Exchange, Training and for Other Purposes, which was signed in Beijing on October 20, 2016.

The objective of cooperation under the MOU is for both Parties to enhance their capabilities in the field of international communication and publishing, to undertake joint or individual activities and programs that help strengthen cooperation between news organizations under the Parties.

It was signed by the PCOO and the State Council Information Office.

President Duterte was in Beijing for his attendance to the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

Beijing, China was President Duterte’s last stop of his three-swing visit this month. Prior to his official visit to China, President Duterte was in Phnom Penh, Cambodia for his attendance to the World Economic Forum (WEF) on ASEAN. He also visited Hong Kong, where he met with the Filipino community. ###PND