Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said Friday many of the commitments made by the Chinese government to the Philippines have yet to materialize.
“Yes, we have signed up to this and that agreement but they hardly materialized. They hardly materialized,” Locsin said at an event in New York City as reported by Joseph Morong in Unang Balita on Friday.
Meanwhile, as China marked its 70th founding anniversary with a list of milestones it achieved over the last seven decades, Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua said Beijing would continue sharing the benefits of their progress with partners, including the Philippines.
“China is committed to sharing the benefits of development with the Philippines,” he said in his speech during a reception in Makati City Thursday night.
Locsin said the Chinese commitments were “nothing” compared to the assistance received by the Philippines from the Japanese government.
“If you were to compare [China’s commitments] to the Japanese investments and official assistance, nothing,” he said.
Locsin was speaking at a forum organized by Asia Society. He was in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly.
But according to Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo, the Chinese government should not be blamed if their commitments to the Philippines had yet to materialize.
“Kasi hindi pa kumpleto. You know why? One time kausap ko si [Chinese] Ambassador Zhao, sabi niya sa akin, eh, papano ang stringent iyong mga requirements ng gobyerno n’yo, ang daming mga processes,” Panelo said.
Based on the National Economic Development Authority’s list of Official Development Assistance, the Philippines has 64 loans from various countries, only two of them from China: For the Chico River Irrigation Pump and for the Kaliwa Dam project.
When it comes to grants, China also has two”•the free construction of the Binondo-Intramuros bridge and the Estrella Pantaleon bridge.
Panelo said Malacañang was leaving it to NEDA to implement the deals the country made with China.