【英文】奥斯陆和平研究所报告：杜特尔特政府下的菲中安全关系评估2016-2020（37页）

The promise of economic support from China to the Philippines may have contributed to the  gradual addition of security-related commitments to the Duterte administration. This is a welcomed development, as the Philippines’ military expenditure is one of the lowest among ASEAN  countries (see Figure 3).34 However, these commitments are not limited to the military alone.  China’s security assistance is explicitly tied to its economic investments and is also found in four  critical areas: 1) counterterrorism, 2) peace and order, 3) strategic industries, and 4) maritime disputes resolution.In the early years of the Duterte administration, China committed a total of US$14 million worth  of small firearms and fast boats to help President Duterte’s war on drugs and anti-terrorism efforts.35 In the wake of the 2017 Marawi City siege, China fast-tracked its commitment by providing counterterrorism support to the AFP ground troops. 

However, this was China’s last significant military assistance to date. The Philippines received the first batch of military aid from China on 28 June 2017, with the following inclusions.The abovementioned second batch of donations comprises TY-85 7.62 mm sniper rifles; CS/LR4A  high precision rifles; and CQ-AG 5.56 automatic rifles.Despite President Duterte’s praise of China’s role in the AFP’s efforts during the 2017 Marawi siege, the AFP and DND would turn over these  rifles to the Philippine National Police (PNP). This was due to interoperability issues. According to  an interview with a senior Philippine diplomat, the Chinese doctrines and systems are not interoperable with the Philippines’, and this can be challenging on the ground. On 2 September 2020, AFP  Chief of Staff Gilbert Gapay stated that the Philippines would not abandon the US as its traditional  ally despite warm relations with China, signaling that those doctrines, systems, and equipment used  by the AFP will remain interoperable with traditional partners rather than with new ones.