Philippines' New President Expresses Openness to 'Military Exchanges' With China

20220705
Ilya Tsukanov

Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. was inaugurated as the Philippines' president on June 30, taking over from predecessor and ally Rodrigo Duterte. Marcos is the son of Ferdinand Marcos, a US-backed dictator ousted by the People Power Revolution of 1986.

Manila is looking to "increase the scope" of ties with China beyond the South China Sea dispute, and is open to military exchanges with Beijing, President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. has announced.

"One of the ways I have consistently suggested is that we have our relationship not only on one dimension - the West Philippine Sea," Marcos said, speaking at a press briefing Tuesday and referring to the Philippines' official name for the parts of the South China Sea that the country claims.

"Let's add to that: Let's have cultural exchanges, educational exchanges, even military if that will be useful," Marcos said.

The president confirmed that his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi this week will include discussions on how to "strengthen ties between China and the Philippines, and of course to find ways to work to resolve the conflicts that we have."

Marcos also characterized the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as an important player and actor "in terms of regional geopolitics," alongside the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group, "because they have an interest, they are stakeholders in this."

The new president's remarks come against the backdrop of heightened tensions between Manila and Beijing, with the two countries facing off over fishing rights in the South China Sea, and recently halting joint energy exploration talks amid concerns in Manila over "sovereignty" issues.

President Marcos has committed to walking a fine line in ties with China and the island nation's former colonial master, the United States. Last month, the then-president-elect met with US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, with a US readout of the conversation saying the two countries "discussed strengthening our longstanding alliance, expanding people-to-people ties, deepening our economic partnership, advancing human rights and preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific" - standard boilerplate for US efforts to shore up regional anti-China alliances.

Marcos' predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, strained ties with the US by announcing a willingness to improve relations with China by scaling back joint military drills and by repeatedly attacking senior American officials, once calling President Barack Obama a "son of a whore" over his criticism of Manila's tough stance on drug offenders. In 2016, Duterte threatened to break off ties with the US completely, and warned the US "not treat us like a doormat, because you'll be sorry for it."

Fernando Bongbong Marcos Jr. is the son of Ferdinand Marcos, a former president and US-backed dictator who was ousted in a coup and fled to Hawaii in 1986. The younger Marcos, his mother, and members of his family were allowed to return home in the late 1980s to face abuse of power and other charges from the time of his father's dictatorship. He launched a presidential bid in late 2021, and picked Sara Duterte, daughter of Rodrigo Duterte, as his running mate, with their election pairing dubbed the "UniTeam." Marcos handily won the presidential election in May, taking 64 of 81 provinces and 58.7 percent of the vote.

The prospect of expanded Chinese security cooperation with Asia-Pacific nations has sparked concerns among the US and its allies, including Australia and New Zealand, with the China-Solomon Islands security framework deal unveiled in April prompting fears in Canberra and Washington that the People's Republic was trying to "surround" US allies and militarize the region. Beijing has dismissed these claims, saying the US was responsible for fueling regional tensions.

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