Duterte's 3rd China trip set next week
MANILA, Philippines — For the third time since assuming office, President Rodrigo Duterte will fly to China to participate in a forum which will also be attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
On April 9 to 10, Duterte will attend the Boao Forum for Asia in China's southern Hainan province, which is a gateway to the disputed South China Sea.
Hainan is the province where Sansha City — which administers islands and features in the South China Sea, including the part that the Philippines claims and calls the West Philippine Sea — is located. It is also where the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, the government think tank pushing China's expansive claim, is.
Duterte will then proceed to Hong Kong for a working visit from April 11 to 12.
In a special order dated April 3, Duterte designated Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea as officer-in-charge while he is out of the country.
As OIC, Medialdea will handle the day-to-day operations in the Office of the President and will oversee the general administration of the executive department.
Boao Forum
The Boao Forum for Asia is a high-level forum for leaders from the government, business and academe in the region where they discuss the most pressing issues in the region and the world.
China's Xi is set to deliver a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Boao Forum for Asia, according to Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
According to a Xinhua report, the Chinese leader will meet with other heads of state and officials from international organizations during the forum.
Other world leaders who will attend the Boao Forum for Asia are Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, Mongolian Prime Minister Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde is also expected to attend the forum.
In May 2017, Duterte participated in two leaders' roundtable summits during the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing. The president, however, did not attend the opening ceremony as he was preparing for the meetings.
Duterte's forthcoming trip to China follows the recent visit of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano to Beijing, where he met with Wang to discuss possible joint development projects in the South China Sea.
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