HAIKOU /China/, February 24. /TASS/. South China's Hainan Province is working on new ways to promote cooperation with the Philippines in culture and education, China News Service reported.
According to the article, Xu Zifu, honorary president of the Philippine-Chinese Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, led a delegation from the Philippine city of Biñan and Singapore to Haikou (Hainan's administrative center) last week to discuss relevant issues with the Office of Overseas Chinese Affairs of the provincial government. According to the report, there was an in-depth exchange of views on promoting cooperation in the above-mentioned direction.
During the meeting, Kang Baiying, deputy head of the Hainan Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, spoke about the current development of the free trade port. She noted that the island province is striving to maximize the level of openness in the international arena and is pursuing a policy of increasing the number of preferences for other countries, including the introduction of zero tariffs, lower tax rates, as well as simplifying procedures related to trade, investment, logistics, humanitarian exchanges and cross-border capital flows.
Zeng Xiaoming, head of Hainan's Office of Overseas Chinese Affairs, said the province's residents have long traveled to Southeast Asian countries. According to the official, cooperation with countries in the region, including the Philippines, in the field of education has been steadily deepening in recent years, with scholarships established and mutual visits of teachers and students encouraged.
The official mentioned the Li'an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone in Linshui Li Autonomous County on the south coast of Hainan, where an international cluster of colleges and universities is rapidly developing. At present, there are more than 20 Chinese and foreign educational institutions there. Zeng Xiaoming expressed willingness to strengthen cooperation with the Philippines and Singapore to establish joint programs to teach various disciplines and train qualified professionals to promote regional growth.
The Philippine side expressed interest because of Hainan Free Trade Port's policy of openness, according to the news service. The Philippines and Hainan have much in common both geographically and culturally, with good complementary resources, providing a wide space for cooperation, as confirmed by Biñan authorities.