China voices support for Philippines' anti-drug campaign

China on Thursday voiced support for the Philippine government's efforts to crack down on drug-related crimes, despite criticism by some countries and human rights organizations of drug-related killings in the Southeast Asian country.

While countries and organizations including the European Union (EU) parliament, the United States, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) expressed concern over the number of people killed in the Philippines' anti-drug campaign, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said in a recent response that he was just the "scapegoat" of human rights organizations and invited them to investigate drug-related killings in his country.

"We understand and support the Philippine government under Duterte's administration in cracking down on drug-related crimes as its policy," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a daily press briefing.

He said that drugs are the shared enemy of mankind and cracking down on drug-related crimes is the shared responsibility of all countries.

The Chinese government has always been firmly committed to combating drug-related crime and has made remarkable achievements. China is also a main force in fighting drug crimes globally, according to Geng.

China stands ready to engage with the Philippines in fighting drugs and making joint action plans for cooperation, he said. Endit