China’s ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua says his government has asked local authorities to provide information on suspected Chinese drug traffickers.
The Chinese government is reportedly willing to extend assistance to the Philippines in catching their nationals who are engaged in the illegal drug trade.
China’s expression of support comes after President Rodrigo Duterte stated on Sun, Aug 21, that some drug suspects killed in local police operations are Chinese nationals.
An ABS-CBN News report had quoted him as saying, “Itong mga namatay dito na unclaimed, sino ang mag-claim niyan e most of them really are Chinese. That’s my lamentation.”
(“Those who were killed here and whose bodies remain unclaimed, who will claim them when most of them are really Chinese? That’s my lamentation.”)
Duterte went on to say that some Chinese citizens lead drug rings in the country even when they are already behind bars. He then vowed that when the right time comes for him to meet with the Chinese officials, he would ask them about it.
Duterte stated, “Sabihin ko sa China one day, bakit ganito ang sitwasyon? Why is it that most of the guys that come here do drugs, pati sa looban (ng kulungan)?”
(“I’ll ask China one day, ‘Why is the situation like this? Why is it that most of the guys that come here do drugs, even inside prison?”)
It was, in fact, Duterte’s lament that prompted Foreign Affairs chief Perfecto Yasay Jr. to summon the Chinese ambassador to ask him about the alleged involvement of Chinese nationals in the proliferation of illegal drugs in the country.
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