China to be PHL's big brother in sports

The Philippines has found China as an ally when it comes to sports. Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Ritchie Garcia and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Jose Cojuangco Jr. met with their Chinese counterparts, led by sports minister Liu Peng, on Wednesday to discuss areas of cooperation between the two nations. Both parties, during the meeting, discussed in detail how China can help the Philippines in the field of sports after a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by the two countries during President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III’s state visit in China. The Philippines stands to benefit from the agreement as a possibility of sending Filipino athletes to China to train looms. "We are exploring the idea of sending athletes and coaches to China as well as sourcing equipment and they (China) agreed,” said Garcia. China has been a long-time partner of Philippine sports as several national team players from have already trained there in preparation for international competitions. "This is a continuing agreement that has been there for decades and this is just a revival of that relationship,” Garcia said.   Liu, through an interpreter, said the MOU will further enhance the friendship of the two countries. “The aim of this visit is to have a very successful exchange program with the Philippines after the MOU was signed.” <B>— JVP, GMA News</B>