BEIJING seems to be displeased with former president Rodrigo Duterte’s work “in convincing the Marcos administration to be cozy with China” because it instead pivoted back to its traditional ally, the United States, to counter China’s aggressive behavior in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), a militant lawmaker said yesterday.
“Analyzing the media releases of the Chinese foreign ministry, it seems that China is displeased with the work of Duterte in convincing the Marcos administration to be cozy with China and instead went to the US to counter China’s aggressive behavior in the West Philippine Sea (WPS),” said Rep. France Castro (PL, ACT), a member of the Makabayan bloc at the House.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Duterte met on Monday, as confirmed by a spokesperson from the Chinese foreign ministry. Xi was earlier quoted by the Chinese media as telling Duterte “the development of the two countries is rooted in the good, neighborly and friendly peripheral environment and the Asian family of win-win cooperation.”
During the meeting at the Diaoyutai state guesthouse in Beijing, Xi expressed hope Duterte “will continue to play an important role in the friendly cooperation between the two countries.”
Castro said Beijing’s summoning of Duterte to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping also “shows that he is at the beck and call of the Chinese and would always advance their interest rather than that of the Filipino people.”
“What we need is an administration that would truly work for the interest of Filipinos and have their betterment as its foremost mission. If not then we will continue to be bullied and exploited by foreign powers,” she said.
Duterte was in Beijing on the invitation of the group Friends of the Philippines Foundation Inc., to lead the inauguration of the Soledad College Building in Fujian, China, according to Sen. Christopher Go, a long-time close aide of Duterte before he became a senator.
The building was named after Soledad Duterte, the late mother of the former president.
Duterte, in August 2016, talked about visiting Fujian to inaugurate the building, and said the school would be used by students invited to study in China.
