China donates second batch of military equipment to Philippines to fight terrorists

MANILA, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine defense department received on Thursday a second batch of military equipment that China donated to help the Philippines fight terrorism.

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua handed over the equipment to Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Gen. Eduardo Ano, the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), during a ceremony at the AFP headquarters in Metro Manila.

Zhao told reporters that the delivery of the weapons and ammunition is China's commitment to building "a friendly and cooperative relationship" with the Philippines.

"We're now fighting terrorism together, we need to work together to enhance trust so that we can build good cooperation between our militaries. That will contribute to peace and stability in this region," Zhao said.

The donation, which includes rifles, ammunition and sniper scopes, is the second batch of armaments that China handed over to the Philippine government this year.

In accepting China's arms donation, Philippine defense and military authorities lauded China's contribution to maintaining peace and fighting terrorist groups in the Philippines.

"The continued support of China to the Philippines signifies a new era in our countries' goodwill relations. This paves the path for a broader and stronger Sino-Philippine security cooperation in the future," Lorenzana said.