Deputy Director Tao Xiaoping introduced the recent economic and social development situation in Shantou, focusing on the planning and construction of the Shantou Bay New Area and the Overseas Chinese Economic and Cultural Cooperation Pilot Zone. It is reported that the Overseas Chinese Economic and Cultural Cooperation Pilot Zone has received recognition and support from the Guangdong Provincial Government, and relevant ministries of the State Council are also paying great attention, with various tasks being further advanced.
Zhao Qiping expressed appreciation for the Shantou Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government's efforts to seize the strategic opportunity of the national construction of the "Maritime Silk Road" in the 21st century and promote the construction of the Overseas Chinese Economic and Cultural Cooperation Pilot Zone. He emphasized that leveraging the advantages of being a hometown of overseas Chinese and seeking policy innovation is a wise move. He suggested that Shantou further clarify the functional positioning of the Bay New Area and the Overseas Chinese Economic and Cultural Cooperation Pilot Zone, creating an "upgraded version" of the special zone that highlights the advantages of "overseas Chinese" and "special" features.
Zhao Qiping, originally from Shantou, successfully operates a large frozen food company in the Philippines and is actively involved in community affairs, making him an outstanding leader among overseas Chinese in the Philippines. He has served as Vice Chairman of the Guangdong Community Association in the Philippines for over ten years and has held the position of Chairman during the 29th and 30th terms. Since the early 1990s, Zhao Qiping has been dedicated to promoting friendly exchanges between Shantou and the Philippines. He has accompanied General Santos, the Mayor of Santos City in the Philippines, on a visit to Shantou and has led delegations of Filipino entrepreneurs to Shantou to seek trade cooperation opportunities. He has also tirelessly assisted entrepreneurs from Shantou, Guangdong Province, and other provinces in China in visiting the Philippines for inspections, trade, and investment. Last year, Huang Xikun, Chairman of the Federation of Chinese Associations in the Philippines, and Zhao Qiping, Secretary-General, invited the Shantou Overseas Exchange Association—Shantou Acrobatic Arts Troupe to perform in the Philippines during the National Day holiday to spread Chaoshan culture and Chinese culture, promoting the development of friendly relations between China and the Philippines, which received high praise from all sectors of society.
Earlier this year, upon the recommendation of the Shantou Municipal Foreign Affairs and Overseas Chinese Affairs Bureau, Zhao Qiping became one of the ten overseas Chinese leaders invited to attend the 12th Second Session of the Guangdong Provincial People's Congress. At the overseas Chinese symposium that day, Zhao Qiping proposed suggestions such as "opening a pilot program for the input of Filipino domestic workers" and "deepening cooperation with ASEAN countries," actively participating in political discussions and providing advice for closer cooperation among ASEAN countries.
During his visit to Shantou, Zhao Qiping and his delegation visited the reclamation site of the Shantou Bay New Area. He stated that he would increase publicity for the Overseas Chinese Economic and Cultural Cooperation Pilot Zone, mobilize overseas Chinese to support the construction of Shantou, and continue to promote friendship and trade exchanges between China and the Philippines.
