Philippines, China engage in basketball diplomacy

Amidst the month-long standoff between the Philippines and China over the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, Filipinos and Chinese squared off anew last April 28 - on a basketball court.   The event was the first Philippines-China goodwill basketball game, held in Beijing, as part of the celebrations of the 2012-2013 Philippines-China Years of Friendly Exchanges (YFE).   "The Goodwill Games were organized by the Embassy in cooperation with the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, the Federation of School Sports Association of the Philippines and the Office of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who also serves as the President of the Basketball Association of the Philippines," the Department of Foreign Affairs wrote in a press release about the event.   Representing the Philippines was last season’s NCAA guest team, the Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates, coached by Bonnie Tan.   The Pirates played against the senior high school basketball team from Tsinghua University's Chinese High School and the collegiate-level team of Capital University of Economics and Business in their respective campuses in Beijing.   The Filipino and Chinese cagers played "in the spirit of sportsmanship, camaraderie, and friendship," the DFA said.   Before and after the games, the basketball players and their coaches exchanged gifts and contact information, as well as took photos together.   During a welcome dinner hosted by the Philippine Embassy in Beijing, Charge d' Affaires Alex Chua stressed the goal of the participating teams was "not to win games, but to win friends." – AMD, GMA News