He said the Philippines will be purchasing more of its arms requirements from China and Russian Federation. “But it does not really translate to actions, we continue to expand”. “It is better to talk than war”. No sense of fighting over a body of water.
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“We will release more information about this visit in due course”, said Hua.
“We’re not going to back off on our position that if we’re working with a country.it is important from our perspective to make sure that we do it the right way”, the USA leader warned Duterte.
Mostly likely, Duterte will only tinker with existing agreements with the USA but not significantly downgrade or sever ties as he reaches out to China.
It all comes down to a calculation about money.
“The South China Sea issue will not be discussed in terms of pursuing specifically our bilateral engagements in resolving that issue”, Yasay told reporters here on Monday. China can not take that legal victory away. On Thursday the International Criminal Court put Duterte and other officials on notice for possible crimes against humanity.
In a bar along the Philippines’ Subic Bay owned by an American military veteran, the main topic of conversation is not the upcoming US election despite the Donald Trump coffee mugs, photographs and caps on display. With the legal card in his back pocket, Mr Duterte wants that economic chill to end. With mutual trust restoring gradually, bilateral exchanges and cooperation in business and other areas will heat up in tandem.
Filipino-Chinese businessmen Carlos Chan, founder of snack maker Liwayway Group and Edgar Sia, CEO of DoubleDragon Properties, are also joining.
“China never criticizes”, Duterte told Xinhua.
“This is a historic visit, and presents an opportunity for relations between China and the Philippines to restart on a fresh, more positive footing”, said Foreign Minister Wang Yi earlier on Tuesday.
Dialogue with China that lessens tensions could yet work to USA interests, particularly if it keeps China from militarizing Scarborough Shoal.
Bloomberry Resorts Corp reported an increase of Chinese tourists in their Solaire Resort and Casino since the landslide victory of Duterte in May polls.
After a standoff in the Scarborough Shoal in April 2012, China cancelled a $900 million loan for a Philippine railway project and discouraged its citizens from travelling to the country.
Given the range of objectives for the Philippines during Duterte’s China trip, it’s unlikely that Manila will push too hard on the South China Sea.
He has canceled preparations for joint exercises with USA troops next year and ruled out joint patrols with the Navy in the South China Sea.
“Dragon fruit particularly the red one is very much in demand”, he said.
Since taking office earlier this year Mr Duterte has faced criticism from the worldwide community, human rights groups and the Catholic Church for his brutal war on drugs.
Thus, nearly singlehandedly, Duterte undermined earlier (American-led) efforts to mobilize worldwide diplomatic pressure on Beijing based on that historic ruling in The Hague.
What does Duterte expect to achieve from the visit?
“We will not raise hell now… but there will come a time that we have to do some reckoning about this”. China has expressed understanding of Duterte’s priority on the anti-narcotics battle, and the world’s second-largest economy is also interested in tapping into the two countries’ respective strengths and cranking up win-win cooperation. But China will be ready for him.
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Gamesmanship is all very well, but this is a game for the very high rollers.
