MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte said Thursday he is scheduled to have a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on April 8.
“China is good. I’m scheduled to… April 8. Gusto ako kausapin ni Xi Jinping (Xi Jinping wants to talk to me). Magkaibigan naman kami (We are friends),” Duterte said in a speech in Lapulapu City before officials and members of the National Task Force and Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.
Duterte mentioned his scheduled meeting with Xi as he talked about the tension between Russia and Ukraine. The President reiterated that the Philippines should remain neutral on the matter.
“I also realize na kung magkagiyera talaga, spillover, kapag mag-nuclear, tinamaan ang Russia ng nuclear or ang Russia ang unang magtira, then there’s gonna be a serious trouble. And China will not just sit idly there. Babanat rin siya,” he said.
(I also realize that if the war will have a spillover and Russia is attacked through a nuclear weapon or Russia attacks first, then there’s gonna be serious trouble. And China will not sit idly there. It will also attack.)
“Ang problema ang Pilipinas, tatamaan din tayo if there’s a full scale war kasi mayroong mga Amerikano dito,” said Duterte.
(The problem is the Philippines will also be affected if there is a full-scale war because there are Americans here.)
Duterte stressed that he does not want the Philippines to enter into a war.
“Hindi ako sa kakampi-kampi ako (I will not side with anyone). I just don’t want war to enter my country. At tsaka (Also), I will never, never commit the Armed Forces ko, mga sundalo ko (my soldiers),” he said.
“I will never commit my soldiers or the police to go to participate,” he added.