Filipino entrepreneur Wilson Lee Flores can still recall the first time he saw President Xi Jinping in person. It was in November 2018 at a dinner in Manila held in honor of the first Chinese leader to visit the Philippines in 13 years.

菲律宾企业家李天荣仍清楚记得他第一次见到习近平主席的场景。2018年11月，在马尼拉迎接13年来首位访菲中国领导人举行的晚宴上，他见到了习主席。

 

Flores, honorary chairman of the Anvil¹ Business Club, an association of Filipino-Chinese entrepreneurs in Manila, said Xi left a strong impression on him, even though they did not have a personal encounter.

李天荣是马尼拉菲华青年企业家商会名誉主席，他回忆尽管当天两人没有直接交流，但习近平主席依然给他留下了深刻印象。

 

Xi "came across (as a) very dignified² leader", Flores said. Among Philippine media, business and government officials, Xi is regarded as a "strong-willed, dignified yet friendly leader", he added.

“他是一位令人尊敬的领导人”，李天荣说，在菲律宾媒体、商界和政府官员眼中，习主席“意志坚强，既威严又亲切”。

 

Henry Lim Bon Liong, president of the Federation³ of Filipino-Chinese Chambers⁴ of Commerce and Industry, who was also at the state banquet, had a similar impression. Xi is "very friendly, a jolly good fellow … someone that you can trust, that you can rely on", he said.

参加晚宴的菲华商联总会理事长林育庆与李天荣的感受相似。他说，习近平主席“非常友好，非常亲切......是一个可信、可靠的人"。

 

As Filipino-Chinese businessmen, Lim and Flores welcomed Xi's visit because it underscored the importance of China-Philippine relations. Lim said that as someone who is "Chinese by blood (and) Filipino by heart" it gave him great pleasure to see both "come together (and) seal their friendship".

菲律宾华裔企业家林育庆和李天荣对习近平主席的访问表达了热烈欢迎，因为这次访问凸显了中菲关系的重要性。林育庆称，作为一个“有着中菲两国血统”的人，他非常高兴看到中菲双方“团结起来，（并）巩固两国友谊”。

 

Flores said, "China is a major power and a big country. For their head of state to come personally to visit the Philippines, (which is considered) an old friend, a good neighbor… that gave a very big moral boost to bilateral⁵ relations."

李天荣称：“中国是大国也是强国，中国国家主席亲自访问菲律宾，（将菲律宾视为其）老朋友、好邻居......这从情感上极大地推动了双边关系的发展”。

 

In Asian culture "nothing beats personal encounters and personal meetings between leaders", Flores said, and Xi's visit expressed not only the president's personal goodwill⁶, "but his country's goodwill toward the Philippines".

李天荣说，在亚洲文化中，“没有什么能胜过领导人之间的直接接触和会晤”，而习主席的访问不仅表达了他个人的友善，“而且中国对菲律宾释放了善意”。

 

In a joint⁷ news conference with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Xi emphasized the close bilateral ties.

在与杜特尔特共同会见记者时，习近平强调了中菲密切的双边关系。

 

Both sides agreed to elevate the bilateral relationship into one of comprehensive, strategic cooperation.

双方决定建立中菲全面战略合作关系。

 

Twenty-nine cooperation documents were signed during Xi's visit, 11 of which were related to infrastructure⁸. These included an infrastructure collaboration⁹ program; joint development of industrial parks; feasibility studies for road and bridge projects in central and southern Philippines; and a loan agreement on the New Centennial Water Source-Kaliwa Dam Project. All these infrastructure projects were in line with the Duterte administration's flagship infrastructure development program, Build, Build, Build.

在习近平主席访菲期间，中菲签署了29份合作协议，其中11份与基础设施项目相关。这些文件包括一份基础设施合作计划，联合开发中菲工业园区，菲律宾中部和南部道路和桥梁项目的可行性研究，以及菲律宾卡利瓦大坝项目。以上基础设施项目都与杜特尔特政府的基础设施旗舰项目“大建特建”计划契合。

 

Lim, the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry's president, said Build, Build, Build is one of the cornerstone programs of the Duterte administration, and for it to be feasible, the Philippines will need huge resources.

林育庆称，“大建特建”是杜特尔特政府最重要的计划之一，要实现这项计划，菲律宾需要庞大的投资。

 

China is a "good ally" for the program, Lim said.

林育庆称，中国是实现该计划的“好伙伴”。

 

Ernesto Pernia, former Philippine Socioeconomic Planning Secretary, recalled that infrastructure financing was among the highlights of Xi's state visit. Pernia was among the Philippine Cabinet officials who met with Xi during his state visit to Manila.

菲律宾前社会经济规划部长厄内斯托·佩尔尼亚回忆称，基础设施投资是习主席此次国事访问的重要议题。佩尔尼亚是习主席在马尼拉进行国事访问期间会见的菲律宾内阁成员之一。

 

"It somehow strengthened the relationship between the two countries, especially the friendship between the two leaders. A long litany of infrastructure projects to be funded by China's official development assistance was discussed" by ministers and secretaries "in the presence of the two heads of state", Pernia added.

“此次访问巩固了双边关系，特别是两位领导人之间的友谊。部长们在两国元首在场的情况下讨论了一系列将由中方援助的基础设施项目。”

 

Chinese merchants have been sailing to the Philippines since the 10th century and bartered¹⁰ with ceramics¹¹, silk and beads¹² for Philippine pearls, tortoise shells and hemp¹³ fabric¹⁴. Chinese-Philippine trading thrived even during the Spanish colonial period. Some Chinese traders would eventually settle in Binondo, marry Philippine women and create a Philippine-Chinese community.

自10世纪以来，中国商人一直通过海路与菲律宾进行贸易往来，用陶瓷、丝绸和念珠交换菲律宾的珍珠、龟甲和麻布。甚至在西班牙殖民时期，中菲贸易依然很繁荣。一些中国商人最终在比诺多定居，与菲律宾女性成家，组成了菲律宾华人社区。

 

Xi discussed the centuries-old ties between the two countries in a signed article with the headline "Open up a new future together for China-Philippine relations".The article was published in three Philippine newspapers just before his visit.

习近平主席在访问菲律宾之前在《菲律宾星报》《马尼拉公报》《每日论坛报》发表题为《共同开辟中菲关系新未来》的署名文章，文中谈论了中菲两国之间数百年的友谊。

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