MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte asserted on Wednesday that the Philippines would not go to war with China, the Asian superpower being a “good friend.”
“For the record, we do not want war with China. China is a good friend. We owed it a big debt of gratitude, among others for the vaccines [it has donated to us],” Duterte said, speaking partly in Filipino, in a pre-recorded briefing.
“So China, let it be known, is a good friend and we do not want trouble with them especially a war,” he added.
Most of the Philippines’ first COVID-19 vaccines — the CoronaVac made by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech — were donated by the Chinese government.
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Keep on reading: PH won’t go to war with ‘good friend’ China, says Duterte