On September 23, 2023, the Chinese Consulate in Laoag held a reception to celebrate the 74th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China.

The celebration was led by Consul & Head of Post Ren Faqiang of the Chinese Consulate in Laoag and attended by various local officials including Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs Jesus S. Domingo, Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc, Ilocos Norte 2nd District Representative Congressman Eugenio Angelos Marcos Barba, Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba, Kalinga Governor James Edduba, Ilocos Norte Vice Governor Cecilia Araneta Marcos, and Cagayan Vice Governor Melvin Vargas.

Mayors, vice mayors and other local officials from different towns including Batac City, Paoay, Banna, Marcos, Cauayan, Bangued, and more than 300 representatives from Filipino-Chinese communities, Chinese enterprises, Chinese students, and people from all walks of life in the consula districtattended the event.  

In his speech, Consul Ren expressed that over the past 74 years, under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people have worked hard to overcome difficulties and attained great achievements. Today, China has become the world's second largest economy and has made positive contributions to world peace and prosperity.

Consul Ren also introduced the positive results of friendly exchanges between China and Northern Luzon in the past year. With this, he assured that the Consulate will further strengthen the exchanges with the provinces and cities in the consular district to jointly implement the important consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and President Bongbong Marcos on promoting local exchanges and deepening cooperation between the two countries in various fields such as agriculture, tourism, infrastructure, education, sister provinces and cities, and contribute to the stable development of China-Philippines relations.

Undersecretary Domingo, Governor Manotoc, Congressman Barba, Governor Mamba, and Governor Edduba successively delivered warm speeches where they praised the traditional friendship between China and the Philippines and China’s development achievements. They all also expressed the optimism of Northern Luzon about China's large market and welcomes more Chinese tourists and investment in their respective localities.

Baguio Patriotic High School Chairman Fernando Tiong also delivered a speech on behalf of the Filipino-Chinese community and wished prosperity to China.

As the Mid-Autumn Festival is also approaching, the Consulate treated the guests to delicious mooncakes. Students from Mariano Marcos State University- College of Teacher Education and Paoay National High School also delighted the reception with their wonderful Chinese and Filipino cultural performances.

The 2023 Consular Protection Volunteer Outstanding Contribution Award was also presented during the event, and the reception was hosted by Deputy Consul Sun Weidong of the Consulate.