AQUINO-HU MEET. Philippine President Benigno Aquino III and Chinese President Hu Jintao are scheduled to meet Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2011. Aquino is on a state visit to China to boost trade relations between the two countries. INQUIRER CONTRIBUTED/AP FILE PHOTOS
MANILA, Philippines – President Benigno Aquino III is set to meet with China’s leader, Hu Jintao, Wednesday afternoon, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said over 990AM.
Valte said before meeting Hu, Aquino would tour the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City Wednesday morning.
But in a text message to 990AM after the interview, Valte corrected herself saying that Aquino would be touring the Great Wall Thursday morning.
A meeting with Chinese officials was also scheduled in the afternoon of the same day after which a state banquet in honor of the Philippine delegation will be held in the evening.
Valte said that Aquino’s state visit to China was aimed at broadening trade between the Philippines and China.
Aquino, who was accompanied by several Filipino-Chinese businessmen, hopes to spur more investments after his visit, Valte said.
Valte said pending joint projects would also be discussed but added that she wasn’t sure whether this would be on the agenda of the meeting between Aquino and Hu.
But Transportation and Communication Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas is expected to take up the North Rail project with his Chinese counterpart, Valte said.
The project, to have been funded by the China National Machinery and Equipment Corp., a state-owned company, had been stalled after President Aquino ordered a review amid allegations that the agreement, forged under predecessor Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, was anomalous.
Roxas was reported as saying that the government would renegotiate the project. Kate Evangelista, INQUIRER.net