Duterte banks on ‘peaceful engagement’ to build trust with ‘friend’ China

President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping. (File photo from Malacañang)

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines should sustain its “constructive dialogue” and “peaceful engagement” with China to further build mutual trust and confidence between the two countries, President Rodrigo Duterte said at an online summit on Tuesday.

Speaking at the Communist Party of China and World Political Parties Summit, Duterte said he considered China as a “friend and a partner for peace and development” and that he expected that bilateral relations between the Philippines and China to “expand and deepen.”

“We value the friendships, ties, between PDP-Laban and Communist Party of China (CPC) that have grown significantly over the years. To further build mutual trust and confidence, we must sustain our constructive dialogue and peaceful engagement. This is crucial as the bilateral relations bet our two countries expand and deepen,” he said.

“We count on China as a friend and a partner for peace and development. We trust in the collective wisdom of the great Chinese nation, that China will use its newfound strength in defense of what is good and just for all humanity,” Duterte added.

He further said that the ties between Filipinos and Chinese would continue to be “deep and enduring” as long as the two countries would value “win-win cooperation, amity, and mutual respect.”

During the speech, Duterte praised China for its “extraordinary rise to prosperity” under the leadership of the CPC, adding that the country would “play an important role in the global affairs for decades to come.”

He also thanked China for its assistance to the Philippines in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly China’s donation of COVID-19 vaccines.

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