When the Philippine government declared quarantine measures to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, China immediately offered its assistance and unwaveringly expressed its willingness to cooperate with the Philippines. In one of his public statements, President Rodrigo Duterte thanked China for supporting the Philippines in its battle against the infectious disease. Duterte also dismissed rumors that the novel coronavirus originated in a Chinese laboratory, which was the same conclusion reported by the World Health Organization, top Western scientists and even the United States Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley. Counting on China’s helping hand, Duterte has even urged Beijing to prioritize the Philippines once it develops an antibody against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
