Philippines, China vow cooperation for post-coronavirus recovery

MANILA (REUTERS) – China promised on Saturday (Jan 16) to donate 500,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses to the Philippines as the two countries signed infrastructure deals aimed at boosting post-pandemic recovery efforts, officials said. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte in March imposed one of the world’s longest and strictest lockdowns to contain the virus, grounding to a halt what was one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies before the pandemic. “As a friend of the Philippines and your closest neighbour, we will firmly stand with the people of the Philippines until the defeat of this virus,” senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi said during a…