BEIJING (MindaNews/17 August) – The Philippines and China have agreed to set up several mechanisms to combat cross-border offenses to include terrorism, illegal drug trade, and economic crimes.
The agreement was made following the official visit of Philippine Justice Secretary Leila de Lima here on Tuesday, who held a meeting with China’s police chief Meng Jianzhu, according to the statement released by the Minister of Public Security.
Meng said both countries have firmed up a mutual understanding between their respective law enforcement agencies, active coordination and close cooperation in the field of law enforcement and security cooperation to achieve rich results.
He urged both nations to further strengthen cooperation in combating transnational crimes, repatriation of criminal suspects, law enforcement capacity-building, protection of Chinese citizens and institutions in the Philippines, and in security.
“China-Philippine friendly cooperation not only brings tangible benefits to both peoples but it is also conducive to regional stability and prosperity,” he said.
For her part, De Lima said the Philippine government sees the great importance of cooperation with China.
She said the Philippines is willing to strengthen the multilateral and bilateral ties to further promote cooperation in drug control, terrorism and the fight against economic crimes, safeguarding national security and social stability.
It has been noted that China’s drug syndicates are active in Southeast Asian nations, particularly in the Philippines where several Chinese citizens have been caught for allegedly running factories of illegal drugs. (Darwin Wally T. Wee/MindaNews)