MANILA, Philippines — Three warships of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy arrived at in Manila on Thursday for a goodwill visit.
Chinese frigates Wu Hu and Han Dan, as well as replenishment Dong Ping Hu, will be in the country for four days.
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Representatives of the Philippine Navy welcomed the China PLA Navy as they arrived at Pier 15, South Harbor, Manila.
This would be the second port call of Chinese navy vessels in the Philippines, both during the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.
The first visit of the Chinese navy to the country was in April 2017, when guided missile frigates Changchun and Jingzhou and replenishment ship Chaohu dockedd at Sasa Wharf in Davao City.
The goodwill visit of the Chinese warships comes days after a Pulse Asia survey was released showing that Filipinos trust China the least. This, despite the government's pursuit of warmer ties with the regional giant and frequent praise from the president.
The survey released earlier this week found that 64 percent of respondents distrust China, 40 percent of which said the Philippines should give little trust while 20 percent said no trust should be accorded to Beijing.
Only 39 percent said the Philippines should at least give a fair amount of trust to China amid the Duterte administration's efforts to deepen its ties with Beijing. — Patricia Lourdes Viray