China vows to prioritize Philippines for coronavirus vaccine

China has pledged to prioritize the Philippines once it finds a vaccine for the novel coronavirus, Malacanang said in a statement on Friday, citing a phone call between the nations’ two leaders.

China has also promised to provide critical medical supplies and equipment to its neighbor in the battle against the global pandemic, while assuring the free flow of goods and services between them, according to the statement.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Rodrigo R. Duterte talked on the phone for 36 minutes on Thursday evening, during which they both vowed to “uphold peace, stability, prosperity and principles of international law, including the rule of law.”

Mr. Duterte has sought closer trade and investment ties with China since he became president in 2016, unlike his predecessor who sued China before an international court and won.

The United Nations arbitral court in the Hague favored the Philippines in that lawsuit, voiding China’s claim to more than 80% of the South China Sea based on a nine-dash line.

Mr. Duterte had vowed to pursue an independent foreign policy, announcing a pivot to China away from the US.

The tough-talking leader in February officially notified the US that he was ending a two-decade-old military pact with the US on the deployment of troops for war games.

Earlier this week, Mr. Duterte suspended the termination of the visiting forces agreement “in light of political and other developments in the region,” according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

The suspension of the 21-year-old visiting forces agreement (VFA) is effective for half a year and may be extended by six more months, DFA told the US Embassy in a letter dated June 1.

Ending the VFA complicates Washington’s efforts to maintain an Asia-Pacific troop presence amid friction over the presence of US personnel in Japan and South Korea and security concerns about China and North Korea. — Gillian M. Cortez