Chongqing-"We hope to further strengthen trade and investment relations between the Philippines and China by offering more opportunities to diversify the commodity trade and sectors for investment and cooperation," said Flerida Ann Camille P. Mayo, Philippine Consul General in Chongqing.

The Fourth Western China International Fair for Investment and Trade (WCIFIT) opened on July 22 in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. 

The International Cooperation Hall of this year's WCIFIT has an exhibition area of 2,000 square meters. The exhibition was mainly launched by countries along the Belt and Road, displaying their special and unique products and the economic and trade cooperation projects achieved by RCEP member states.

The 19 participating countries include special guest country Mexico, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Slovakia, Hungary, Uruguay, Ecuador, Iceland, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Vietnam, Laos, the Philippines, and Thailand. 

iChongqing conducted an exclusive interview with Flerida Ann Camille P. Mayo, Philippine Consul General in Chongqing.

With the help of our Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Shanghai, the Philippines gathered five companies selling Philippine brands imported or manufactured here in China to exhibit at WCIFIT. 

These are Century International China with its Century Tuna and other food products, Excellent Quality's Pongpong Banana Chips, Oishi snacks, Team Asia Corporation's Super Coco and Coco King virgin coconut oil products, and Bebebalm care products.

"When we were invited to put up our Philippine pavilion here at WCIFIT, we welcomed the idea of being able to do an in-person presentation of Philippine products. We are fortunate to be in a place where the wheels of trade could be oiled again by high-profile events like WCIFIT," said Consul General Mayo.

In 2020, trade was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. But in 2021, trade and investment relations between the Philippines and China bounced back, with the total trade volume valued at 38.34 billion dollars, exceeding the 2019 total trade volume valued at 35.31 billion dollars. In 2021, China was the Philippines' top trading partner. It is the number one import supplier and second largest export market.

"In the coming months, we hope to help open a Philippine showroom in the Chongqing Municipality and stage a Philippine Festival that would be broader in scope than the Philippine Fruit Festival we organized at Yubei District last December," said Philippine Consul General.

(Deng Mengyu, Yan Jundan, and Liu Jingjing, as interns, also contributed to the report.)