Consul General Julius Caesar A. Flores attended on 21 January 2016 the annual New Year briefing for the Consular Corps conducted by Xiamen City Vice Mayor Ni Chao. Held at the Kempinski Hotel in Xiamen City, the briefing was attended by the Consuls General and officials from the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand as well as by officials from the Xiamen Municipal Government Office, Xiamen Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office (FOCAO), and Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Commerce.
Vice Mayor Ni cited Xiamen City’s accomplishments in 2015 as well as its new targets under the new 5-Year Plan for 2016-2020, underscoring its multi-dimensional aspects including political and economic reforms, socio-economic and infrastructure developments. Xiamen’s RMB346 Billion Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for 2015 is 7% higher than its 2014 GDP while its Total Fiscal Revenue exceeded RMB100 billion and Fixed Asset Investment increased by 25% to RMB188.77 billion compared to 2014 figures. She attributed these gains to Xiamen City government’s industrial reformation and upgrading, innovative trade policies and fiscal reforms. These initiatives resulted in the steady growth of export/import transactions, more construction of railway and tunnel transportation system facilities, new schools and hospitals, creation of new public parks, better living conditions for its population, and cleaner air.
Vice Mayor Ni also highlighted the progress achieved at the newly established Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) that has become Xiamen’s current growth engine. The newly adopted investor and business-friendly customs and trade policies and measures have resulted in more companies using the Xiamen FTZ for their import and export transactions. Xiamen FTZ is currently the largest among the three FTZs located in Fujian Province.
Vice Mayor Ni thanked the three Consulates General for their continued support and cooperation which contributed to the successful accomplishment of Xiamen’s development plans and efforts. She expressed hope that the mutual and cordial relations between the city of Xiamen and the three Consulates General would be further strengthened in 2016 and the years ahead.
In response as Dean of the Consular Corps, Consul General Flores assured Vice Mayor Ni and the other Chinese local officials, of the three Consulates General’s continued support and cooperation in the enhancement of relations between our respective counties and Fujian Province as reflective of the preparations for the holding of the forthcoming Nanyang Culture Festival.
He thanked Vice Mayor Ni for the support and assistance extended by the City of Xiamen to the Consulate General to its commemorative activities in 2015 and expressed the hope that these relations would further be cemented by more collaborations between the City and the three Consulates General during the 5t Nanyang Cultural Festival scheduled from 22-26 April 2016, among others. END
