China To Donate 3000 M4 Rifles, Ammo, Sniper Scopes to Philippines

China will be handing over the second batch of military equipment to the Philippines on Thursday, that include 3,000 M4 rifles, three million rounds of assorted ammunition, and 30 sniper scopes.

The military assistance worth $22 million will be handed over to Military Chief General Eduardo Año and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, in the capital Manila today, as China’s commitment to the Philippines’ campaign against terrorism and crime.

Military spokesperson Colonel Edgard Arevalo told local reporters Wednesday that the donation would be of great help in the firepower of the Philippine troops not just in the siege in Marawi but also in other areas of the country where there are ongoing military operations.

In June 2017, the Chinese government donated the first batch of 3,000 rifles with 5 million ammunition and 90 units sniper rifles with 800,000 ammunition, worth $7.24 million. The Philippine government also received assistance worth $1.27 million for the wounded soldiers in Marawi City.

The donations come on top of at least $24 billion in credit and investments lines pledged by Chinese companies last year. Philippines-China ties improved when Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte opted to temporarily set aside Manila's territorial disputes on the South China Sea with Beijing in order to revive the two countries’ economic relations.