Wang Yi urges Philippines not to ditch Duterte’s China-friendly policy after election
- Chinese foreign minister says the outgoing president’s approach has been in the interests of both countries and should continue
- Filipinos will vote for a new president in May, with the country’s relations with Beijing expected to dominate the campaign
Duterte, who took office in 2016, will step down after the May election in line with the country’s one-term limit.
Without naming the US or its allies, Wang called for Manila to maintain “an independent and autonomous foreign policy” in the face of “provocations by a number of extraterritorial forces … in an attempt to undermine the good momentum” in bilateral ties.
In a taped address on Monday to officials and scholars at the opening of an online forum organised by the Chinese embassy in Manila, Wang said Duterte’s “strategic decision” was “fully in line with the fundamental interests” of both China and the Philippines as well as the region.
“I am sure that insightful people from both countries will stick to this right direction,” he told the Manila Forum for China-Philippines Relations, according to a transcript published by the Chinese foreign ministry.