MANILA –
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will meet Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin on Tuesday, the most high-profile Chinese visitor since he took office last year, and has had an amazing conversation with Beijing, the historical rival .
Duterte will meet Liu later in the day, and the presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella says just a polite phone call.
President Liu is meeting with the foreign ministry to discuss the “substantive issues of bilateral arrangements,” Abela said in a text message.
The visit was made a few days later by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, as China and Japan compete in the Philippines for influence and opportunity, as it specified budgets for recording large-scale complete remodeling of its dilapidated infrastructure.
, Duterte reversed the foreign policy of the Philippines, saying it was a contempt for the traditional US allies and an open attitude toward China, abandoning distrust of the long dispute over the South China Sea.
Maverick former mayor often praised China’s opponent Xi Jinping, the sea sovereignty issues in the back, to promote business ties with Beijing.
A few weeks ago, a protest statement had been sent to the Chinese embassy to show the accumulation of weapons on its artificial islands in the South China Sea, Philippine Foreign Minister Yassin Yassi said. Yasay said the issue was being handled with care so as not to cause tension.
