The move for visa-on-arrival for Chinese nationals was announced by the secretary of the Department of Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon Teo. She also said that the department is willing to implement further promotion to encourage more tourists from China.
The department aims to reach 1 million tourists from China this year. During the Lunar New Year, about 60,000 tourists arrived from China.
The number of arrivals increased by 50 percent compared to the previous year. There was a total of 675,700 Chinese tourists who visited the Philippines last year.
There will also be an increase of flights from China in an attempt to add travelers to famous tourist destinations like Boracay.
China is now the third largest country which sends the most number of travelers to the Philippines. It has replaced Japan which used to be third in number to South Korea and the United States.
President Rodrigo Duterte confronted Chinese ambassador Zhao Jianhua about concerns that Chinese businessmen are investing in the Philippines' drug cartel.
President Duterte said, "I asked the ambassador himself, 'Are you trying to destabilize my country with these drugs?' He assured me they in China too have serious problems with drugs and are doing the same campaign to stamp them out."
From Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang responded on behalf of the Chinese government.
He said, "We stand ready to have anti-drug cooperation with the Philippines and formulate a common action plan for it."
He added, "The Chinese government is resolute in cracking down on drug crimes. With clearly defined policies and notable achievements, China is a staunch force in the international endeavor against drug crimes."
The Philippine president reported that China intends to assist in the construction of more rehabilitation centers in the country.
Duterte said that there is still the problem of 300,000 illegal Filipino workers in China that needs to be addressed but not to the point of interfering with China's laws.