The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of the Philippines held a reception on July 27, 2018 at Makati Shangri-la Hotel to celebrate the 91st anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army of China (PLA).

        The reception was graced by Cardozo Luna, Undersecretary of National Defense, Department of National Defense, Benjamin Diokno, Secretary of Department of Budget and Management, Abdullah Mama-O, Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers and Muslim Concerns, Enrique Manalo, Undersecretary for Policy, Department of Foreign Affairs, Rear Admiral Erick Kagaoan AFP, Chief of Naval Staff, Philippine Navy, as well as some 400 guests.

        His Excellency Zhao Jianhua, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, said in his speech that since its birth in 1927, the PLA has embarked on an extraordinary journey to achieve independence and liberation of the Chinese nation, safeguard China’s sovereignty, security and development, as well as advance peace and progress in the world. He said that over the past decades, the PLA has been participating in numerous UN peacekeeping operations, international disaster relief efforts and humanitarian programs, and has forged ever closer friendship and cooperation with the armed forces from other countries including the Philippines.

        Ambassador Zhao said within a short span of two years, under the visionary guidance of our two leaders, China-Philippines relations have ushered in a new era. China is determined to level up our friendship and partnership and bring tangible benefits to our two nations and peoples. China and the Philippines do have our differences, but both countries agree to manage them through dialogues and consultations, so as to make sure the small percentage of disputes does not jeopardize the growth and depth of our overall relationship. So long as we remain committed to the spirit of good-neighborliness and win-win, we will create brighter prospects in striving for a shared future for common interests for our countries, our peoples, our region and the world at large.

       Cardozo M Luna, Undersecretary of National Defense, Department of National Defense, congratulated the PLA on the occasion and said that in the past few years, the Philippines and China have made significant gains in our defense cooperation and military-to-military engagements. Through the annual defense and security talks, the Philippines and China tackled areas of mutual concern such as combating terrorism, violent extremism and transnational crimes, the conduct of humanitarian assistance and disaster response, and resolving disputes through peaceful means and open channels of communications at all level. The Department of National Defense of the Philippines is looking forward to working with Chinese counterparts to arrive at mutually beneficial agreements and mechanisms for exchange, increase opportunities for cooperation, and fostering greater understanding between our two countries.

        The video PLA Today and photos which displayed the build-up achievements of PLA were welcomed by the guests at the reception.