MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday said that the Philippines and China are united in fighting what he called the “pernicious and rotten social diseases” that devour the country. In his speech during the Boao Forum in Hainan, China, Duterte admitted that bilateral relations with his giant neighbor are “complex” but said that these are not barriers to a positive and mutually-beneficial engagement. “With China, we stand together in the war on criminality and illegal drug trade,” he said. China, Philippines’ common ground: Battle vs illegal drugsAfter years of being at loggerheads over the South China Sea, the Philippines and China seemed to have found a common ground: combating the illegal drug trade. Even United States President Donald Trump seemed to admire the drug policies of China and the Philippines.

Source: Philippine Star April 10, 2018 04:07 UTC