MANILA, July 24 (Xinhua) -- A three-day China engineering technology exhibition kicked off here on Wednesday, showcasing the cutting-edge construction and engineering technologies and the latest achievements of China in these fields.
The annual China Engineering Technology Expo (CET), sponsored by China International Contractors Association, was held in Manila for the first time. More than 20 Chinese large-scale international contractors participated in the expo at SMX convention center.
The exhibitors built up their booths delicately in order to effectively demonstrate Chinese companies' brand image, technical level, comprehensive strength and their iconic international cooperation outcomes, in various forms of physical objects, models and multimedia with the supplements of photo-display.
After visiting the expo, Philippine Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said that under the "Build, Build, Build" program, the infrastructure in the Philippines has made significate progress during the past two years, adding that in the future there will be plenty of opportunities to come and he believed Chinese companies can secure contracts of the infrastructure projects in the Philippines with their excellent quality.
The "Build, Build, Build" program, which was rolled out by the Philippine government in 2017, intends to spend 8 to 9 trillion pesos (roughly 160 to 180 billion U.S. dollars) in the medium term on building roads, bridges, airports, seaports and railways in the Philippines.
Tan Qingsheng, the deputy chief of mission and minister counselor at the Chinese embassy in the Philippines, said Philippines' massive infrastructure program works in concert with the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.
"China and the Philippines have signed a series of cooperation agreements, covering power, telecommunication, transportation and other fields. I believe the CET will push forward the bilateral economic and trade collaboration to a new height," he added.
Fang Qiuchen, chairman of the China International Contractors Association, told Xinhua that Chinese contractors "are gaining global market share in recent years and the Philippines is experiencing rapid economic growth."
"We have noticed there is an increasing demand for infrastructure in the Philippines and we believe Chinese contractors can find plenty of opportunities in this southeast Asian country," Fang said.
CET is a professional expo held annually in the world, aiming to showcase the comprehensive strengths and technical level of Chinese engineering and industry-related companies, demonstrating Chinese overseas cooperation outcomes, providing access for global industry to get more understanding of Chinese engineering companies, so as to promote international cooperation between Chinese companies and their counterparts and relevant parties in the host countries.
As a global itinerant expo, CET has been held for 16 sessions all over the world, including in Canada, Venezuela, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Iran and Panama.
