BEIJING – President Duterte will visit China in May to attend a multilateral summit, China’s foreign ministry said yesterday, his second visit to China since taking office as he seeks to further distance himself from Washington.
Duterte has carried out a stunning U-turn in the Philippines’ foreign policy since assuming office last year, making overtures towards China while berating traditional ally the United States.
In a statement issued after Duterte met China’s Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin in Macalañang Tuesday, the Chinese foreign ministry said Duterte said he was pleased with how ties had developed since he came to China last year.
“I will come to Beijing in May to attend the ‘One Belt, One Road’ international cooperation summit forum, and I look forward to meeting President Xi Jinping again,” the ministry paraphrased Duterte as saying, without elaborating.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said it could not immediately confirm the comments were made as no officials from the agency were present at the meeting. (Reuters and Roy C. Mabasa)