Malacañang has expressed confidence that the government’s procurement of Chinese-made vaccines against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) will not be affected despite the diplomatic protest filed by the Philippines against the new China law allowing its coast guard to fire at foreign vessels in Chinese-claimed reefs.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the diplomatic protest will have no effect since it is a different matter.
“The vaccine is actually a humanitarian act of the entire planet earth in response to a humanitarian disaster,” Roque said per an inquirer.net report.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. has filed a diplomatic protests against the new China law as it is a “verbal threat of war to any country that defies the law.”
The said law allows the Chinese Coast Guard to “take all necessary measures, including the use of weapons when national sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction are being illegally infringed upon by foreign organizations or individuals at sea.”
Malacañang welcomed the filing of the protest.
“This will prove that the Philippines is fully committed to the rule of law and will assert all its rights available under existing principles of international law to defend its interests,” Roque said.
“Our independent foreign policy is intended to be friends with everyone, enemies with no one, but we will protect and secure the Philippine national interest,” Roque added.
The Chinese government has promised to donate 500,000 vaccine doses to the Philippines.
The Philippine government has also sealed a deal with China-based drugmaker Sinovac BioTech for 25 million vaccine doses with early 50,000 doses by February, 950,000 by March and two to three million in succeeding months until December. (CC)
