Duterte Welcomes Chinese Communist Officials, Xi Protégé At Malacañang Palace

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte welcomed members of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to the presidential palace in Manila on Monday. The palace, called Malacañang, is the equivalent of the White House in Washington D.C.

According to a press statement issued Monday, Philippine President met with Chongqing party chief Chen Min’er and other members of the CPC in a courtesy call at the Palace’s Music Room. The statement described Chen as “A protégé of Chinese President Xi Jinping” and a “rising political star in China.”

In 2013 Chen became the governor of Guizhou and was then promoted as provincial Communist Party secretary. In 2017, he became the Communist Party secretary of Chongqing, one of China’s major cities. He is one of 25 members of the politburo, the CPC’s top decision-making body, and is serving as the head of the provincial department of propaganda and vice governor of Zhejiang province.

Other dignitaries of the CPC were in attendance with Chen including:

• Chinese ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua
• Vice minister of the International Department-CPC Central Committee (IDCPC) Guo Yezhou
• Executive vice mayor of Chongqing Municipal People’s Government and secretary-general of CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee Wang Fu

Philippine government officials present at the welcoming were:

• PDP-Laban president Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III
• Department of Energy secretary and PDP-Laban vice chairman Alfonso Cusi
• Cagayan Economic Zone Authority secretary and PDP-Laban vice president for International Affairs Raul Lambino
• Department of Foreign Affairs acting secretary Jose Eduardo Malaya III
• Senators Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go and Francis Tolentino.

One purpose of the gathering was for Duterte to distance himself and the current government from a complaint that was filed with the International Criminal Court against Chinese President Xi Jinping by former ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales and former foreign secretary Albert del Rosario. Duterte said the Philippine government had nothing to do with the complaint. Morales and Rosaria are both staunch critics of Duterte.

The two countries are in the preliminary stages of a proposed joint venture to explore oil and gas resources in waters inside the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The “carrot” dangling in front of Duterte is a lucrative 60-40 split of revenues in favor of the Philippines if a 2016 arbitral agreement by the United Nations can be “set aside” or ignored.

The fear is that once China establishes control in these waters, it’s vast naval staff will be able to build up its military and have its way with the Philippines and other ASEAN nations with their own EEZs. Is China making a sincere gesture or are they setting a trap with billions of Philippines pesos in potential profits as the bait?