Marcos-led Philippines plays both sides in diplomatic tug of war with US and China

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr strikes a delicate balancing act between the US and China. - AFP

MANILA (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): A foreign policy reboot is under way in the Philippines, as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr strikes a delicate balancing act between the United States and China amid the two superpowers’ intensifying battle for influence in South-East Asia.

Marcos, who took office in June, has abandoned his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte’s pro-China approach in favour of a more nuanced foreign policy that revives ties with old military ally Washington while also forging deeper economic relations with Beijing.