Noynoy, Chinese envoy discuss controversial ZTE deal

Not a single vote for the president has been officially counted by Congress, but Sen. Benigno Aquino III seemed to be widely recognized by the international community as the next Philippine president. On Thursday, Chinese Ambassador Liu Jinchao visited Aquino in his Times Street home in Quezon City. Liu is the second foreign dignitary after US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. to pay Aquino a courtesy call. While their discussions centered on building stronger ties between China and the Philippines, Aquino said he and Liu also talked about the controversial broadband deal the Arroyo administration entered into with China's Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment Corp. (ZTE). President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo aborted the deal in 2007, amid allegations of corruption behind the agreement. "We talked about controversial issues," Liu told reporters after his closed-door meeting with Aquino. Asked whether the issues included the supposedly bloated $329-million ZTE deal, Liu replied in the affirmative. The Office of the Ombudsman last Wednesday sustained the filing of charges against former Socieconomic planning secretary and now Social Security Systems chair Romulo Neri and former Commission on Elections chair Benjamin Abalos. (See: Ombudsman upholds Abalos, Neri involvement in ZTE case) However, the Ombudsman ruling cleared President Arroyo and First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, who allegedly benefited from the deal. Former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. and son Jose III implicated the First Couple. It was the elder De Venecia who made public a photo of Mr. and Mrs. Arroyo seen playing golf with officials of the ZTE Corp. in China. On Thursday, Aquino reiterated that should he win, his administration would put closure on controversies that have hounded the First Couple during the nine-year Arroyo administration. "We have both learned lessons from the past administration. There's a pledge of cooperation, closure wants to be achieved," the president-apparent said, expressing dissatisfaction at the Ombudsman's probe.

RP-China ties Recounting his meeting with Liu, Aquino said: "We had a very good briefing about China's issues, the bilateral trade, and the fight against drug trafficking." In particular, Liu said China is willing to provide aid to the Philippines should it ask for help. China is one of Asia's largest economies. He added they were able to discuss China and the Philippines' claim on the controversial Spratly Islands. "It behooves all of us to find means of cooperation," he said. They also "slightly" discussed the tension between North and South Korea, which are perceived to be on the verge of war. When Liu was asked why he visited Aquino even if he has not been proclaimed yet as the 15th Philippine president, the Chinese envoy replied, "I don't see any point why I don't want to visit the senator." Aquino was set to meet Japanese Ambassador Makoto Katsura later in the day. — RSJ/LBG, GMANews.TV