PH eyes China-made military equipment

The Philippine government was expected to sign on Monday a letter of intent to procure military equipment from China’s state-owned defense manufacturing firm Poly Technologies Inc., Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said.

“It’s a letter of intent to deal with them because they’re offering us a lot, a wide array of defense equipment,” Lorenzana said in a press conference Sunday in Beijing, China.

To make the purchase, Lorenzana said the Philippines will avail of a $500-million soft loan that China had offered to extend in December.

“We are not saying that we will buy from them or we will not buy from them but if we need anything from the Chinese defense industry, then we’re going to procure using the loan that they are going to offer to us,” Lorenzana said.

The soft loan was offered along with a $14-million grant, which the Philippines will use to procure four fast boats, 200 sniper rifles, and hundreds of rocker-propellege grenade launchers with ammunition.

These are expected to be delivered before yearend, Lorenzana added.

Representatives of Poly Technologies paid a courtesy call on President Rodrigo Duterte in Beijing on Sunday afternoon. The President is in Beijing to attend the Belt and Road forum on China’s plan to build a new Silk Road.

Lorenzana allayed concerns over the use of a loan from China to purchase defense hardware from a Chinese arms manufacturer amid the territorial dispute over the South China Sea.

“I think, we should separate our dispute from the South China Sea from our relationship with the Chinese,” he said.

Lorenzana said the Philippines will be sending a technical working group to Beijing to inspect the defense equipment being offered by Poly Techonologies.

He also guaranteed that the military weapons from Poly Technologies meet the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s standards.

The Philippine government in 2013 filed a petition against China for claiming most parts of the disputed waters.

On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, Netherlands ruled in favor of the Philippines and invalidated China’s claim.

POOL FOTO VIA AP MEETING WITH CHINA. President Rodrigo Duterte, right, is greeted by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang prior to their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Monday.