Q: Recently, AFP spokesperson Roy Vincent Trinidad suggested that the Chinese government may be linked to illicit drugs apprehended in the maritime domain of the Philippines, even implying that the Chinese Communist Party is attempting to undermine the future of the Filipino youth by flooding the country with illegal drugs. Meanwhile, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro claimed that "no country in ASEAN is subjected to the same amount of intense activities in all fronts by China, but the Philippines," and asserted that deficit of trust and credibility is the biggest stumbling block to dispute resolution or dialogue with China. What is the embassy's comment on this?

A: China has the toughest resolve and policy against drugs and we have one of the best counternarcotics track records in the world. China has scheduled the largest number of substances and has imposed the strictest drug control policy in the world. China and the Philippines have maintained sound law enforcement cooperation on combating drugs and other transnational crimes. A delegation from the Philippine Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission(PAOCC) recently visited China and reached important consensus with Chinese counterparts on further strengthening efforts to combat transnational crimes. We firmly oppose the baseless and malicious accusations made by certain individuals with intention to smear China.

Driven by selfish political motives and acting as pawn of the US Indo-Pacific strategy, certain individuals within the Philippine military have been exploiting maritime issues to provoke and escalate tensions. Such a stance does not help in solving problems. On the contrary, it has become the root cause of distrust and the stumbling block to dispute resolution.

We urge certain individuals in the Philippine military to refrain from malicious attacks against China. They should heed the will of the people, act in their nation’s true interest and return to the correct path of resolving disputes through dialogue and consultation.