President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s state visit to China is set to yield key agreements to bolster the government’s “Build Better More” infrastructure agenda, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said Wednesday.

“Part of this, we will be signing more than a dozen of agreements and loans so that we expect our ‘Build Better More’ to be accelerated. And also other areas like agriculture will be a big part of this mission,” Diokno said in a short interview in Beijing.

The Marcos administration’s “Build, Better, More” infrastructure agenda seeks to construct, among other things, the Farm-to-Market Road (FMR) Network Master Plan, a detailed framework and strategic directions for sustainable projects.

Diokno sees the President’s three-day state visit as a success, noting its expected benefits to the Filipino people.

“This very short trip will promise to be a very successful one,” Diokno said.

The finance secretary also noted the President’s meeting with China’s top legislator, Li Zhanshu, earlier in the day.

“We were warmly received by the leadership of China and we expect to have the same dialogue with the President of China,” said Diokno.

House Speaker Martin Romualdez earlier said the President’s high-level meeting with Zhanshu “was a very positive engagement.”

President Marcos met Li in a bid to strengthen the relationship between Manila and Beijing, particularly as the world transitions to the new normal following the coronavirus pandemic. #