Philippines’ Duterte signals closer ties with China amid anger at outsize Beijing influence

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Philippines’ Duterte signals closer ties with China amid anger at outsize Beijing influence

(CNN)Leaders of China and the Philippines have preliminarily agreed to cooperate on oil and gas exploration, a move that is likely to anger many Filipinos wary of Chinese territorial expansionism in the region.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, met Tuesday in Manila at the beginning of a two-day state visit by the Chinese leader, where the two countries announced 29 agreements.
The deals include a memorandum of understanding to jointly explore for energy resources, alongside agreements on basic education, agricultural cooperatives and infrastructure projects, Philippines government spokesman JV Arcena told CNN.