The Department of National Defense (DND) has called for sustained defense and training exchanges with China, including military aid, following a security cooperation dialogue between the two countries last week.
Defense Undersecretary Antonio Santos relayed this message to Lt. Gen. Zhang Qinsheng, deputy chief of staff of the People’s Liberation Army, who led the Chinese delegation to the 3rd Annual RP-China security cooperation conference at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City Friday.
“Undersecretary Santos urged the Chinese defense officials to sustain these exchanges between defense and military officials to promote mutual understanding and trust, nurture friendship among peoples and cooperate in addressing regional security concerns,” Edna Guevara, DND director for public and legislative affairs, said in a statement.
Santos expressed gratitude to the Chinese defense officials for providing the Philippine military with training opportunities to enhance knowledge and hone the skills of Filipino soldiers.
“The meeting manifests our strong resolve to pursue our objective, which is to gain mutual understanding of each other’s perceptions and positions on various international and regional security concerns,” he said.
On top of allowing Filipino troops to undergo military schooling in Beijing, the Chinese government donated heavy military engineering and medical equipment to the Armed Forces of the Philippines last year. – Jaime Laude