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Philippine presidential election: envoy says China has no ‘preferred candidate’, will work with next leader
- Huang Xilian told a forum that China never interferes in the internal politics of other countries and ‘believes Filipinos have the wisdom to choose their own leader’
- He also called on the next administration to carry forward the strong ties established by outgoing President Duterte
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China will work with whoever wins the Philippine presidential election and has no history of meddling in another country’s internal politics, Beijing’s envoy to Manila said on Saturday.
“China never interferes in the internal politics of other countries and an election is the internal politics of the Philippines,” Huang Xilian said at a forum to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Philippine Association for Chinese Studies.
“We believe the Philippine people have the wisdom to choose their own leader.”
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Huang’s comments put to rest speculation by some Philippine analysts that China has a “Manchurian candidate” of choice it is secretly helping and hoping would win the May 9 race.
This term, for a politician used as a puppet by a foreign or hostile power, was made famous by a 1959 fictional Cold War thriller in which the son of an American political family returns from service in the Korean war having been brainwashed by Chinese and Russian communists.
Huang also told the Manila-based think tank’s gathering that China-Philippines ties have deepened in the past five years.
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