MANILA – The Chinese Embassy in Manila vowed on Thursday to donate more coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines to the Philippines and to maintain a consistent supply.
“As the Philippines is facing an increase in demand of vaccines, we will donate more and substantively increase the supply of vaccines to the Philippines,” Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian said in a speech during the inauguration of the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge Project.
Huang noted that China was the first country to give test kits, personal protective equipment, vaccines, and send a medical expert team to the country.
“China has been standing in solidarity with the Philippines in fighting the pandemic,” he said. “China and the Philippines are close neighbors that cannot be separated and moved away. As close neighbors, our good neighborliness and mutually beneficial cooperation is a blessing for our two peoples and also for the region and beyond.”
President Rodrigo Duterte attended on Feb. 28 the turnover of the first 600,000 doses of the 1 million Sinovac vaccines provided by China to the Philippines at the Villamor Airbase in Pasay City.
‘A major progress’
The launching of the Estrella-Pantaleon bridge ahead of time, according to Huang, represents “major progress on the synergy” between the Belt and Road Initiative and the country’s Build, Build, Build program.
“President Duterte mentioned in the State of the Nation Address that the Philippines would sustain the momentum in infrastructure development and complete the Build, Build, Build program flagship projects as scheduled. I believe that the progress of government-to-government projects between China and the Philippines will contribute to achieving this goal,” he said.
The Binondo-Intramuros Bridge and Chico River Pump Irrigation projects, both funded by China, are also expected to be completed in 2021, according to Huang.
“(The) Philippine-Sino Center for Agricultural Technology-Technical Cooperation Program Phase III and the 10,000-ton Rice Donation Project are also expected to be concluded within this year. Safe Philippines Project Phase I has seen the loan agreement signed and will break ground in a short time,” he added.
Aside from that, the envoy stated that “a list of pipeline projects” worth billions of dollars is now being reviewed and bid on internally.
“This (Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge) inauguration signifies the multiple China-Philippine government-to-government projects are entering into a new stage of harvest,” he said.
On July 29, at 8 p.m., the China-funded Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge was opened to the public, allowing vehicles from Mandaluyong City to access Makati’s central business district in a few minutes.
