BEIJING: China vows to boost cooperation with the Philippines in fighting illegal drugs after authorities seized 605 kilograms of methamphetamine last week. ”The Chinese side is ready to enhance its cooperation with the Philippines in information sharing, technical equipment, joint operation, drug rehabilitation and other areas to jointly combat drug crimes,” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a regular press conference last Wednesday. Acting on an intelligence report from Chinese customs, the Philippines’ Bureau of Customs reportedly seized the 605 kg of illegal drugs worth Php 6.4 billion in Valenzuela City, a neighbor city of Manila, on May 26.
According to the Xiamen City custom officials, two arrested drug smugglers had informed Chinese authorities that the drugs hidden inside five printing machines have been smuggled to the Philippines. Hua said like the Philippine government under President Rodrigo Duterte, Chinese government was also committed to fight illegal drugs. ”The drug is the common enemy of all mankind. It is the shared responsibility of all countries around the world to fight against drug crimes,” she said.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry official said successful confiscation of the prohibited drugs was the result of the anti-drug war cooperation launched between China and the Philippines during President Duterte’s visit in Beijing in October last year. ”To solve the aforementioned case, law enforcement agencies of China and the Philippines cooperated closely with each other and achieved important outcomes in anti-drug law enforcement cooperation,” Chua told the media. ”China is ready to create a sound and peaceful environment for people of the two countries and the whole region to live in,” she added.
