On 28 November, Larry Chan, Chairman of Philippines Liwayway (China) Co., Ltd, delivered his remarks at the Closing Ceremony of the Asia Youth Leaders Forum 2021.

The full speech is as below.

Good morning to all. It is truly an honor to be invited here in this Asian Youth Leaders Forum and speak on behalf of Asia's young generation. 

My name is Larry Chan, and I'm a third generation Filipino Chinese. Like my parents, I was born and raised in the Philippines. And like many Filipino-Chinese children from my generation, I have a poor grasp of the Chinese Mandarin language, unfortunately, as we speak mainly English and the Philippine vernacular.

Our operations in China started in Shanghai followed by expansion into a number of other major cities. In 2004, we established our first operations in two lower tier townships, in Jiangxi and Hubei provinces, discovering that even in lower tier places, the investment environment around China had matured very well with the support of efficient infrastructures and highly motivated local economies.

We understand that the development of the Greater Bay Area is a key strategic part of China's development movement and plays a significant role in the country's innovation-driven development and commitment to reform and opening-up. Thus, we have been closely following its developments, and taking the initiative to understand the opportunities it may provide.

Being born in the 1970s, I have the benefit of being close to both the first generation of Chinese businessmen who prospered during the early years of China's opening up, and the next generation of entrepreneurs, including those who are already taking over the businesses passed on by their parents. These next generation entrepreneurs are highly exposed to different cultures so that many openly embrace innovation, are multilingual and multidisciplinary, and have been able to expand their resources beyond their countries.

As President Xi Jinping has said, the future belongs to the youth and hope rests with them. It is encouraging how a lot of our youth groups and associations are crossing borders either by expansion into other countries, or establishing close alliances with other associations in those countries. Living in China and being able to fully appreciate China's own system of government that is very much highly regarded by its constituents, we know the importance of fostering better mutual understanding between nations and people.

Let us continue doing so, applying innovative ways to promote more intimate dialogue and sharing of resources. I think the most important reason my stay in China has been very fruitful for me is because I kept an open mind towards communities with different backgrounds. Understanding the ways in which each one has a lot to contribute to the table is a very humbling and fulfilling process to an acceptance of the reality that there are many ways to find solutions to societal issues and concerns, we then realize that having different perspectives and experiences can make this world a much better and culturally richer place. Thank you very much.