Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the Philippines can trust China to honor its agreements but must be cautious amid tensions over claims in the West Philippine Sea. “Of course we trust China... It is a regional power and I have no reason to believe that it will renege on any agreements,” he said in a message to reporters. “The devil, as they say, are in the details later on when we go on joint development of the resources in the WPS. Let us trust but we must also be cautious,” Lorenzana added.

Blancaflor, M., & Ramos-Araneta, M. (2019, September 3). DND chief: We trust China but observe caution. Manila Standard, pp. A1, A2.