PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has scheduled a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on April 8, 2022, the Malacañang said on Friday, April 1, 2022.Deputy presidential spokesperson Kris Ablan said in a press conference that Duterte initiated the meeting, which will take place virtually.He said it is currently under “preparatory stage,” including the matters to be discussed during the meeting.During his speech in an event in Lapu-Lapu City on Thursday, March 31, Duterte said he will talk to Xi but he did not specify the topics of their would-be discussion.He then warned about the spill over of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in Asia.“Ang China will not just sit idly there, babanat ‘yan siya, kunin niya ang Taiwan. Ang problema, ang Pilipinas, tatamaan din tayo, if there’s a full-scale war, kasi merong mga Amerikano dito,” Duterte said.Duterte maintained that he will remain neutral about the said conflict.“I just don’t want war to enter my country. At saka I will never, never commit the Armed Forces ko na sundalo ko… I will never commit my soldiers or the pulis to go to and participate. Hindi natin ano ‘yan… We are not even connected,” he said.The country filed a diplomatic protest against China over the close distance maneuvering between the coast guard personnel of the two countries in the disputed Panatag Shoal in Scarborough, also known as Bajo de Masinloc, on March 2.While the Philippine government asserted full sovereignty in Scarborough Shoal located in the West Philippine Sea, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin claimed that Beijing “has sovereignty over Huangyan Dao (Scarborough Shoal) and its adjacent waters, as well as sovereign rights and jurisdiction over relevant waters.”China refused to recognize the Arbitral Tribunal ruling in 2019 over the disputed territories in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) in favor of the Philippines. (SunStar Philippines)