Both sides have hailed the move as a step forward for their defense ties.
On October 5, China delivered a second batch of arms to the Philippines in a handover ceremony attended by officials on both sides. The development was yet another sign of Beijing’s growing security ties with Manila, a longtime U. S. treaty ally, in spite of the challenges that still remain.
As I have noted previously, though the Philippines has traditionally not had much in the way of a defense relationship with China, Beijing’s deepening security ties with the Manila in the Duterte era has become a familiar story in recent months. Even though the progress has been much slower than the rhetoric might suggest, the fact is that we have seen forms of cooperation that were previously unthinkable, from closer coast guard cooperation to law enforcement assistance (See: “ What’s Behind the New China-Philippines Coast Guard Exercise? ”).
A key development came on June 28, when China delivered its first round of military assistance to Manila. As I noted then, Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua presided over a high-profile ceremonial turnover at Clark Air Base in Pampanga attended by Duterte, with assistance worth 370 million pesos ($7.3 million) comprising around 3,000 rifles and 6 million pieces of ammunition (See: “ The Truth About China’s New Military Aid to the Philippines ”).
On October 5, Beijing delivered a second batch of equipment in a handover ceremony held in Camp Aguinaldo and attended by Zhao as well as Philippine defense officials including Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and AFP Chief of Staff General Eduardo Ano.
