Philippines to send Cabinet official to China-ASEAN Expo

Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III will send Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas as his special envoy to the 9th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) this week in Nanning, China, a senior government official said on Thursday.

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, in a news briefing, said Aquino approved the recommendation of Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario to designate Roxas as the special envoy to CAEXPO from Sept. 21 to 25.

Del Rosario is arranging a meeting between Roxas and his delegation with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, who is attending the CAEXPO, Lacierda said.

CAEXPO, co-sponsored by China and ASEAN, is an international event held annually since 2004 with the objective of promoting the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA). The CAEXPO is an excellent platform for cooperation in the fields of infrastructure investment, trade, and tourism, among others.