On December 7, 2005, Mr. Max V. Soliven, STAR publisher, hosted a luncheon reception at the Tower club in Makati city welcoming Ambassador Li Jinjun, his co-hosts were Philippine STAR president and CEO Miguel G Belmonte and Stargate Media Corp. President Jose Manuel Romualdez. Guests present included foreign envoys to the Philippines and business leaders.

Ambassador Li said that Philippine-China relations were experiencing a "golden era", with bilateral trade this year expected to hit a record $17 billion. Ambassador Li told Mr. Soliven that he would work to make the Philippines and China partners in progress and " true friends" during his stint in the Philippines.