PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday reiterated that the Philippines plans to have closer cooperation with China.
In his speech during the Kaamulan Festival in Bukidnon, President Duterte said the Philippines just wanted to be friends with China.
“China is my neighbor. I just want to make friends and trade so that my people will be happy and improve our country,” he said, adding that China gave assistance for the improvement of the Philippines.
However, Duterte underscored that “he will not enter into a military alliance with any country.”
The President also acknowledged the presence of Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua at the festival and considered the diplomat’s presence as meaningful, saying that it would help open doors for better diplomatic relations with China.
The Chief Executive also asked China to help in developing the country’s agriculture.
Duterte said that China had imported more products from the Philippines such as pineapples and bananas.
Duterte said he asked China to give priority to the development of agriculture in Bukidnon, a landlocked province in Northern Mindanao and the country’s eighth largest province.
“I would like to take this rare opportunity to ask Ambassador [Zhao] Jianhua to bring the first agricultural tractor to Bukidnon in order that the province’s agricultural industry could be developed to the fullest,” he told around 50,000 cheering people.
The President also encouraged the people of Bukidnon to plant crops that could be exported to China, saying that China no longer restricts agricultural products from the Philippines.
He said China currently accepts 100 percent all bananas exported from the Philippines while pineapple exports to China stand at 75 percent.
“China would buy all agricultural products from the Philippines and it is high time that the country’s agricultural industry take the opportunity to plant any agricultural product for export,” Duterte said.
The Chief Executive recounted that when the country was exporting its produce to the United States, the US government would impose product standards, leading to the rejection of the Philippine exports.
However, when the Philippines began exporting its produce to China, the US also began accepting the country’s crops.
“Actually, we remain friends with the United States, but we should not rely so much on Americans anymore because we have close friends, neighbors like China,” Duterte said.