China donates $19.5 Million in military equipment to Philippines

The Chinese government has allocated $19.5 million in military equipment to the Philippines despite tensions over the highly-contested South China Sea.

According to the Philippine Department of National Defense, the first $11 million batch of military aid arrived in Manila on January 16. This included rescue and relief equipment for the country’s armed forces.

Although the precise arrival date of the second $8.5 million batch of military donations has yet to be disclosed, the defense department said that the equipment would be formally turned over to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) next month.

The donation is reportedly part of Chinese President Xi Jinping‘s commitment to supporting the Philippine government in counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism efforts.