China’s offer to Duterte: A phone that can’t be hacked
Malacañang Photo
MANILA, Philippines — China made another offer to President Rodrigo Duterte but this time, it’s not a loan or an oil exploration deal.
Duterte has revealed that China offered him to have a mobile phone that can’t be hacked, but he refused.
Duterte made the admission in an interview over GMA 7’s Unang Hirit on Monday as he was asked about China’s possible shut down of the country’s power transmission system as Beijing owns 40 percent stake in the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).
“I will ask China now. I’d like to address myself, respectfully to President Xi, what could be the reason because I do not believe that they will do. But if there is, what could be the reason for you to cut?” he said.
The President warned Friday that there would be a “quarrel” should China cut the country’s power lines.
“What could be the possible reason that China would spy or cut the grid? he asked.
Duterte said China has been “listening to us” as he admitted that there could be spies in the country.
“Right now they are listening to us, sattelites, without using the grid, the spies, they know, I know because I have talked to him,” he said.
“And as a matter of fact they offered to give me a cellphone that could not be hacked,” he added.
But the President refused the offer and said, “I do not want the people suspect that I have secrets.”
Duterte said in 2018 that the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency has been spying on him.
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