Secretary of Presidential Communications Operations Office of the Philippines Met with Chinese Media Delegation

On 29 June 2017, H.E. Mr. Jose Ruperto Martin Marfori Andanar, Secretary of Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) of the Philippines met with H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), and Chinese Media Delegation participating in the third Chinese Media Reporting Trip to ASEAN organized by ACC. Both sides exchanged views on media exchanges and cooperation of the Philippines and China, and ASEAN and China. Representatives of Philippine Information Agency, Philippine Broadcasting Service, Philippine News Agency and People's Television Network, and Ms. Li Lingxiao, Director of the Information and Public Diplomacy Section of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines, Mr. Vithit Powattanasuk, Director of Information and Public Relations Division of ACC, attended the meeting. 

Secretary Andanar warmly welcomed Secretary-General Yang and the delegation to the Philippines, and outlined PCOO’s recent work and Philippine governmental efforts in information and media. He stated that the mandate of PCOO is to release authoritative information of governments, and to enhance the connections between governments and citizens. Against the backdrop of technological development leaps and diverse dissemination channels, PCOO would like to strengthen the external exchanges and cooperation in order to improve its capabilities and effects in dissemination. PCOO has already built close connections with the Information Office of State Council of China, China Central Television, China Radio International and other related institutions. PCOO are grateful to China for its great support and help in updating equipments and training staff. This reporting trip to the Philippines offers a great opportunity for expanding media exchanges and cooperation between the Philippines and China. He expected to further enhance contacts with ACC so as to together push forward media exchanges and cooperation between the Philippines and China, and ASEAN and China to have more fruitful achievements. 

Secretary-General Yang briefed recent work of ACC particularly the achievements in media exchanges and cooperation. She opined that media serves as an important bridge and bond for mutual understandings and interpersonal relations of both sides, and is a significant content of ASEAN-China cooperation. As a one-stop information and activities centre, ACC has for several times organized mutual visits of both sides’ journalists in recent years, which offered a conducive platform for both sides’ media to learn about ASEAN-China relations. This time’s reporting trip to the Philippines and Indonesia would conduct intensive interviews and reports encompassing the 50th anniversary of ASEAN and the ASEAN-China Year of Tourism Cooperation, and arrange face-to-face exchanges with representatives of both two countries’ related institutions and media so as to deepen understandings and friendships on both two countries. ACC would continue to maintain close contacts and coordination with PCOO, and join hands with PCOO to make more positive contributions to deepening media exchanges and cooperation, and fostering mutual understandings between the Philippines and China, and ASEAN and China.