By Marinel Peroy
Australia is preparing for another trade mission in the Philippines next year that will help the country improve digitalization efforts and boost economic growth through cutting-edge technologies, Ambassador H.K. Yu said at a reception in her residence on Sept. 13.
These programs form part of Australia’s overall bilateral relationship with the Philippines which includes ₱12 billion worth of active development aid projects in the Philippines and an annual allocation of around ₱3.6 billion pesos for bilateral programs.
Ambassador Yu said these continuous two-way efforts on trade, investment, and even people-to-people needs are proof of her country’s commitment to helping the Philippines achieve “upper-middle-income economy” status soon.
“Economic power equates strategic power—and we all know that we live in a very complex world, [with] lots of challenges both in Australia and the Philippines. We need as much strategic power as we can get,” she said.
Speaking to THEPHILBIZNEWS, Ambassador Yu said that Filipino companies, investors, and people are looking into Australia for business and job opportunities. She cited the expansion of International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) in Melbourne as an example.
Australia’s top diplomat said Filipino chefs are gaining recognition for their work in some of the country’s top-rated restaurants.
“Filipino foods are fast becoming one of the most popular cuisines in Australia, and that’s obviously really helped by a multicultural society where Australians love to try various cuisines, but Filipino food has really hit the spot,” she said.
Quarter of million Aussie tourists to PH in 2023
Ambassador Yu said people-to-people ties strongly underpin the bilateral strategic partnership between Australia and the Philippines.
“We actually had 250,000 Australians visit the Philippines [in 2023],” she said, adding that the Philippines is a growing destination for Australian travelers to visit family and friends or for tourism.
On the other hand, 80,280 Filipinos visited Australia last year.
Over 400,000 Filipino Australians now call Australia home, making them the fifth-largest diaspora community in the Philippines, she said.
At the same time, about 32,000 Filipino students are currently pursuing their education in the Land Down Under and more than 3,000 have benefited from government scholarships.
Ambassador Yu said Australia will also continue to provide scholarships to Filipinos and be Australian ambassadors themselves who could “give back” to the Filipino community.
“These people will continue to carry part of Australia in their hands and become Australian ambassadors—just like me—to build bridges…and to further strengthen our ties between our two countries,” she said.
