Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he welcomed a meeting between former President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping amid signs that his Beijing-leaning predecessor disagrees with Manila’s warming ties with the US.
(Bloomberg) — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he welcomed a meeting between former President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping amid signs that his Beijing-leaning predecessor disagrees with Manila’s warming ties with the US.
Duterte and Xi met in Beijing on July 17 with the Chinese side expressing its desire for the former leader to continue to play an important role in the cooperation between the two countries, according to a Chinese government readout. Xi also pointed out that Duterte had during his presidency committed to return Chinese-Philippine “to the right track.”
Addressing reporters on Tuesday, Marcos said he was made aware of the trip, and that Duterte didn’t need his permission to go to China. Marcos, who also met with Xi earlier this year, nevertheless said he hoped the two communicated on pressing issues including worsening disputes in the South China Sea.
“I hope they talked about these, so we can see progress,” he said as Vice President Sara Duterte, the former president’s daughter, stood behind him. “That’s what we’re after, continued discussions. That’s why I welcome any new lines of communication. If that’s President Duterte, then good.”
The Philippines this year granted the US expanded access to military sites, including those near Taiwan, as part of efforts to strengthen a longstanding alliance that was strained under his predecessor. Duterte at the time warned the locations part of the defense pact could be used as staging sites should conflict erupt between the US and China.
For his part, Duterte during his time in office pivoted foreign policy toward Beijing while questioning whether the US would really honor its treaty obligations to defend the Philippines if China were to seize disputed shoals and reefs in the South China Sea.
China and the Philippines have been locked in a dispute in the contested waters, with Manila recently reporting Chinese vessels “swarming” south of an oil and gas-rich area.
While his government has stepped up protests against China’s actions in the South China Sea, Marcos has said his administration isn’t shifting away from China. The Philippines’ envoy to the US also said in a recent interview that Marcos is balancing ties between Beijing and Washington.
Duterte’s visit to China also came a day before the appeals chamber of The Hague-based International Criminal Court ruled to resume a probe on the former leader’s drug war that killed thousands. Marcos, son of the late dictator, earlier said his government is disengaging from the criminal court.
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