President Rodrigo Duterte will not ban Chinese contractors from the Philippines’ infrastructure projects, his spokesman said, rejecting a proposal from the nation’s top diplomat to end deals with Chinese companies involved in South China Sea reclamation.
Projects involving Chinese companies – including the Sangley airport of state-owned China Communications Construction Co. and Philippine billionaire Lucio Tan’s MacroAsia Corp. – will push through, Duterte’s spokesman Harry Roque said at a televised briefing yesterday. “We need investors from China,” he said.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin last week said he will recommend to terminate government projects involving Chinese entities which the U.S. sanctioned.
Duterte has warmed ties with China since he was elected in 2016. In his annual address in July, he said he wants to pursue diplomacy with China while protecting the Philippines’ claims in the South China Sea. Bloomberg
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