GOVPH

XIAMEN PCG PARTICIPATES IN MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT’S NEW YEAR BRIEFING

Consul General Winston Dean S. Almeda (5th from left) with the Consuls General of Thailand and Singapore, attend the 2026 New Year Briefing for the Xiamen Consular Corps hosted by the Xiamen Municipal Foreign Affairs Office

Xiamen, 03 February 2026 – Consul General Winston Dean S. Almeda led the Consulate’s participation in the 2026 New Year Briefing hosted by the Xiamen Foreign Affairs Office (FAO) for the Xiamen Consular Corps held on 03 February 2026 at the Hyatt Centric Hotel. Singapore and Thailand’s Consuls General to Xiamen, Mr. Ch’ng Tze Chia and Ms. Sasarak Sasivanij, respectively, attended the briefing, as well as other officials and interpreters from the said Consulates. Consul General Almeda was accompanied by Consul Charleson Hermosura, Economic Officer Maria Rizarem Apolonio, and local hire/interpreter Fubin Huang.

The briefing is an annual event organized by the Xiamen Municipal People’s Government to inform the Xiamen Consular Corps of the city’s achievements during the past year, and to articulate the areas for cooperation it aims to pursue with each Consulate. The three (3) Consulates General were also provided the opportunity to respond under these same themes

Consul General Winston Dean S. Almeda and Xiamen Vice Mayor Zhuang Rongliang exchange gifts for the New Year

 

Deputy Director General Chen Jianfeng of the General Office of the Xiamen Municipal People’s Government conducted the briefing on Xiamen City’s achievements for 2025 and the City’s targets for 2026. Deputy Director General (DDG) Yao Jianhong of the Xiamen Foreign Affairs Office (FAO), Mr. Zhuang Rongliang, Member of the Standing Committee of CPC Xiamen Municipal Committee and Vice Mayor of Xiamen Municipal People’s Government; Mr. Zhang Quan, Director General of Xiamen FAO; and Ms. Cai Chaochao, new Director of Xiamen FAO’s Asia Department, were also present during the activity. END.

“Lī hè, fēilǜbīn"/ "Hello, Philippines": MXIS Students visited the Philippine Consulate General in Xiamen

XIAMEN, 4 February 2026–  In line with continuing cultural diplomacy efforts of the Philippine Consulate General in Xiamen (Xiamen PCG), it held its first ever  “Lī hè, Fēilǜbīn!” or “Hello Philippines” in the Minnan dialect (i.e., Fookkien) of southern Fujian.

During the activity, Xiamen PCG invited students from the Manila Xiamen International School (MXIS) to  visit the Mini-Exhibition of Rizal Memorabilia located at the 3^rd floor of the Chancery.

The students listened intently during a discussion on the cultural items in the  Mini-Exhibition by Cultural Officer and Attaché Sheila Solas. For his part, Consul Charleson Hermosura briefly talked about the entry policy, and the many wonders of Philippine touristic sites.

Consul General Winston Dean S. Almeda summarized the whole activity, highlighting the significance of Rizal, and his life, works, and ideals from an international perspective.

The activity ended with a photo opportunity with Xiamen PCG’s officials. As a souvenir, each visitor received a 1 Peso “challenge coin”. The coin bears Rizal’s bust. END

 

Cultural Officer Solas with the MXIS students      

                                                                                   Consul Hermosura explains PH Tourism and PH visa

                                                   Consul General Winston Almeda discusses the significance of the tour and provides each visitor a “1-PH peso coin” token.

PCG officials and MXIS students and teachers

 

FOXIT INTERNATIONAL VISITS XIAMEN PCG

From left: Economic Officer Ms. Maria Rizarem A. Apolonio; Consul Charleson C. Hermosura; Mr. Sun Ke, Managing Partner of Qianhe Investment Co., Ltd.; Consul General Winston Dean S. Almeda; Foxit International Vice President Mr. Zhang Lu; and Mr. Liu Yang, Assistant of Mr. Sun.

Xiamen, 22 January 2026 – Mr. Zhang Lu, Vice President of Foxit International, paid a courtesy call on Consul General Winston Dean S. Almeda on 22 January 2026. Mr. Zhang was joined by Mr. Sun Ke, Managing Partner of Qianhe Investment Co., Ltd., and the latter’s assistant Mr. Liu Yang.

During the call, Mr. Zhang gave a brief introduction of Foxit International, a leading software provider of PDF solutions. The company has a claimed 700 million users and has sold to over 640,000 customers located in more than 200 countries. Mr. Zhang further discussed his company’s partnership in the Philippines and foray into collaboration with government institutions focused on education.

Consul General Almeda expressed appreciation for Mr. Zhang and Mr. Sun’s visit. He informed them about the 14-day visa-free entry of Chinese travelers to the Philippines. The Consul General also briefed them about the Xiamen Investment Seminar held on 21 January 2026. He invited Mssrs. Zhang and Sun to the forthcoming editions of the Seminar, and advised them to interface with the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Guangzhou which covers Xiamen, and businesses based in Xiamen that have successfully expanded their business in the Philippines. END.

CONSUL GENERAL ALMEDA MEETS BPIC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR GENERAL JIANG QINGSHENG

From left: Consul Charleson C. Hermosura, Consul General Winston Dean S. Almeda, Translator Mr. Fubin Huang, BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution Innovation Center (BPIC) Assistant Mr. Li Shuyi, BPIC Executive Director General Mr. Jiang Qingsheng, BPIC Director of International Cooperation Division Ms. Cai Chaochao and BPIC Assistant Ms. Lin Qing

Xiamen, 23 January 2026 – Mr. Jiang Qingsheng, Executive Director General (EDG) in charge of daily work of the BRICS Partnership on  New Industrial Revolution  Innovation Center (BPIC) called on Consul General Winston Dean S. Almeda on 23 January 2026. Mr. Jiang was joined by Ms. Cai Chaochao, Director of the International Cooperation Department (who is also from the Asia Affairs Department of the Xiamen Foreign Affairs Office), and Mr. Li Shuyi and Ms. Lin Qing, staff members of the International Cooperation Department.

During the call EDG Jiang gave an introduction of the BPIC, which serves as a cooperative platform for BRICS and BRICS Plus. The BPIC facilitates cooperation among South countries focusing on economic and new investor relations. He also shared about the Golden Egret Scholarship program, which was launched during the Rio BRICS Summit 2025. The Golden Egret scholarship program, managed by the Xiamen Municipal People’s Government, provides training programs that will facilitate collaboration, and support capacity building and growth in multiple sectors for BRICS members, partner countries, and other emerging markets and developing economies. Mr. Jiang invited the Philippines to participate in the said scholarship program.

EDG Jiang said that the BPIC can also organize a visit to the Philippines by Chinese companies to check the specific industries and the Philippine commodities that the companies may be interested in. He added that the BPIC also organizes business briefings every two (2) months and invited the Consulate to participate in said activity.

Consul General Almeda expressed appreciation for the visit of BPIC as well as the invitation extended for the Philippines to participate in the Golden Egret scholarship program. END.

National Arts Month 2026