Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/06/17
By: Emerson Lim and Elaine Hou
Davao City, the Philippines, June 17 (CNA) President-elect Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines
Philippine president-elect Rodrigo Duterte (right).
has welcomed Taiwan’s new southbound policy aimed at strengthening relations with Southeast Asian countries, and he hoped the Philippines and Taiwan can deepen bilateral exchanges.
Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who took office May 20, has proposed the policy to reduce Taiwan’s economic dependence on China and create opportunities for Taiwanese businesses in Southeast Asia and India. The Philippines, with its fast-growing economy, is considered an important partner in the plan.
Duterte, the outgoing mayor of Davao, told CNA recently that he welcomed the policy and said he saw an opportunity for agricultural cooperation between the two sides.
The Philippines has large swathes of land and has great agricultural development potential, the 71-year-old politician said, eyeing the opportunity to cooperate with Taiwan’s advanced agriculture sector. [FULL STORY]
