On February 4, Governor Zhao Long met in Fuzhou with a delegation led by Pamela Baricuatro, Governor of Cebu Province of the Philippines. They jointly attended a cultural exchange event marking the 8th anniversary of the sister-province relationship between Fujian and Cebu. Vice Governor Jiang Erxiong attended the events.

Entrusted by Secretary Zhou Zuyi, Zhao welcomed the delegation on behalf of the provincial Party committee and provincial government, and provided a brief overview of Fujian’s high-quality economic and social development. He said, as an important birthplace and practitioner of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Fujian is following the grand blueprint for building a new Fujian charted by President Xi Jinping. By staying committed to its development goals, the province is striving to play a pioneering role in deepening reform comprehensively and expanding high-level opening up, as it works to write a Fujian chapter in China’s modernization drive. Since Fujian and Cebu became sister provinces in 2018, exchanges across various fields have continued to deepen. Zhao hoped that from the new starting point, both provinces will carry forward their traditional friendship, strengthen sister-province interactions, and expand practical cooperation in fields such as culture and tourism, agriculture, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and healthcare, bringing more benefits to the two peoples.

Pamela Baricuatro expressed her delight at visiting Fujian for the first time. She looked forward to taking this visit as an opportunity to continue working hand-in-hand with Fujian, and expand exchanges in more fields for even more fruitful outcomes.