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Raissa Robles

The Philippine government may buy up to US$500 million worth of weapons and other defence assets from one of China’s largest arms dealers, as Manila looks to ease tensions with Beijing.
Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the purchase from Poly Technologies was part of the agenda of President Rodrigo Duterte in Beijing, where he was attending the “Belt and Road Initiative” summit.
“[China’s arms manufacturers] have equipment that is to Nato specifications, which is what we are using, so that’s OK,” Lorenzana saidahead of the summit.

The Philippines’ letter of intent for the arms purchase is non-binding, and Lorenzana said his country had not decided what type of hardware it was shopping for. He said the next step was to send a military team to Beijing.
Poly Technologies is a subsidiary of China Poly Group – a central government-administered enterprise originally founded by the People’s Liberation Army.
Duterte met China’s Premier Li ­Keqiang on Monday. In the talks, Duterte said the two nations were strengthening and deepening their cooperation.

Observers said greater cooperation between China and the Philippines could mean a further softening of Manila’s stance on bilateral South China Sea disputes.
Since 1950, the US has accounted for about 75 per cent of the Philippines’ arms imports, according to a database from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Duterte has said Russia and China would be willing arms ­suppliers after the United States refused to sell some weapons to the Philippines, citing human rights concerns.
In another sign of increased defence ties, the Philippine coastguard has sent 20 of its officers to China for two weeks of training in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, from May 4 to 20

Coastguard spokesman ­Armand Balilo said the training was part of Duterte’s mandate to strengthen cooperation between China and the Philippines, ABS-CBN news reported.
Richard Heydarian, a Manila political analyst, said the training and arms sales showed that both sides were seeking a strategic partnership as they restarted their dialogue over maritime disputes.
“Given the Philippine security establishment’s lingering concerns over Duterte’s rapprochement with Beijing, this could be a confidence-building measure, for it will upgrade currently minimal [military] interaction between the two countries,” he said.
China and Philippines agree to cooperate on 30 projects worth US$3.7b
Zhang Mingliang, a Southeast Asia analyst at Jinan University in Guangzhou, agreed that many in Manila still had doubts about the turn towards China.
“Duterte receives strong support from the grass roots in the Philippines, but the political establishment in Manila still favours the US and sees China as their biggest opponent in terms of security,” Zhang said.


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Philippines mulls US$500 million arms buy from China

Philippine soldiers head to an area of unrest on Boho Island. Photo: EPA

A soldier in a sniper camuoflage holds a weapon before the start of a parade for the change of command for the new Armed Forces chief at a military camp in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines December 7, 2016. REUTERS/Erik De Castro

epa05801464 A handout photo made available dated and released on 18 February 2017 by the Presidential Photographers Division (PPD) shows Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte (C) reviewing honor guards during the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) alumni homecoming at Fort General Gregorio del Pilar in Baguio City, northern Philippines. Duterte ordered the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to destroy terrorist groups inspired by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), in his speech at the PMA Alumni Homecoming, some 250 kilometers north of Manila. The PMA is the training school for future officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. EPA/MARCELINO PASCUA / PPD / HANDOUT BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES

epa05904019 Filipino soldiers are patrol in the town of Ibanga, Bohol island, Philippines, 12 April 2017. A top leader of the Philippine-based Abu Sayyaf terror group was killed in a shootout with soldiers in Bohol island after government armed forces had launched an offensive, following reports by villagers of the presence of a dozen gunmen, alleged terrorists, aboard three boats in a river in north of the resort island, according to a military official. Abu Rami, whose real name was Muammar Askali, was the second-in-command of the group and is one among the six rebels who were killed during the shootout, Regional Intelligence Division chief Jonathan Cabal said. Philippine authorities were recently tipped off the presence of Abu Sayyaf in Bohol, an island that is located more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the area, which is the group's stronghold. Abu Sayyaf, founded in 1991 in Basilan Island, has kidnapped dozens of people in recent years from waters southwest of the Philippine

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Defence Secretary explores buying hardware from state-owned Poly Technologies


Philippines mulls US$500 million arms buy from China

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Defence Secretary explores buying hardware from state-owned Poly Technologies

Defence Secretary explores buying hardware from state-owned Poly Technologies