Duterte is visiting China October 19-21, 2016. Here (July 2016) Duturte meets troops of the Philippine Marines and Army. (Photo courtesy Camille Ante for Manila Bulletin).
Drawing from a Russia Today (RT)report of October 11, 2016:
Relations are souring quickly between the Philippines and the United States, as President Rodrigo Duterte and 250 Filipino business executives [will visit China October 19-21, 2016] to discuss partnership prospects.
COMMENT
Duterte has expressed interest buying or being given arms by China. Many Western commentators think this is unlikely as the Philippines are already mainly equipped with US supplied arms.
Note that China can sell/donate to the Armed Foreces of the Philippines (AFP) arms originally made or designed in the US, particularly infantry weapons for the Philippine military. This is for its main role of counter-insurgency (internal security). For example:
- the Philippines basic weapon, the M16 rifle (aka AR-15 and M4) is widely available on the world market outside of the US, Note"Together, numerous companies in the United States, Canada, and Chinahave produced more than 8,000,000 [M16] rifles of all variants. Approximately 90% are still in operation."
- China can also obtain supplies of M16s (for donating to the Philippines) from the vast number of countries that use M16s
The Philippines also has an arms industry that China could help develop. The Philippines may still make M16s itself (manufactured under license by Elisco Tool and Manufacturing.[174] ).
China could also buy stocks of non-US designed weapons already used by the AFP. See the vast range of weapons the Philippines uses. Including:
= sub-machine guns from Germany, Pakistan and Israel
= sniper rifles from Switzerland and Germany
= light machine guns from South Korea, Belgium and Singapore
= there are also many other items of electronic equipment and vehicles (eg. Turkey, UK and Japan)
from non-US sources and made in the Philippines (scroll down the Wiki website).
China also has a vast arms industry to do the essential re-equipping of the Philippine Navy and Air Force. The Air Forcealready has many non-US suppliers.
Pete