Marcos will proceed with state visit to China despite Covid-19 surge

MANILA (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr (pic) will go ahead with his state visit to China on Jan 3-5 despite the surge in Covid-19 cases there.

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary Neil Imperial on Thursday (Dec 29) said tighter health protocols will be imposed to ensure the Philippine delegation would not get sick.

“Our relations with China are so important, and we have received assurances from our Chinese hosts that all arrangements are being made to ensure the safety of the President and his delegation during the state visit,” said Imperial. “And you know, there are visits that the President just can’t postpone”.

This will entail a “bubble” arrangement for Philippine officials to interact with selected Chinese government officials and their staff in venues closed to the public, and a separate facility prepared for the delegation in case any of them catch Covid-19 and requires isolation.

Marcos, who usually meets with Filipinos in large conference halls in his overseas trips, will no longer be meeting with the Filipino community in China to avoid a potential superspreader event.

He will have three separate meetings on Jan 4 with Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress; Premier Li Keqiang, and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Xi will also host a banquet for the Philippine delegation.

There were concerns in the Philippine diplomatic and political circles that Marcos may cut short or postpone his state visit to China, as cases have been rising there after Beijing relaxed its zero-Covid measures.

This will be Marcos’ first bilateral visit outside of South-East Asia since assuming the presidency in June.

He was personally invited by President Xi for a state visit when the two heads of state first met in November at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Thailand.

Imperial said the trip is expected to “reaffirm the cordial and neighbourly relations” between the two nations.

Marcos will be visiting in the wake of rising tensions between Manila and Beijing over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

China has also been increasing its military activities in the disputed waters in the past two months, as Marcos continues to find a diplomatic middle ground between maintaining economic relations with Beijing and fostering stronger military ties with the United States, China’s rival.

The Philippines is already planning to boost its military presence in the South China Sea following Beijing’s latest reclamation activities in parts of the Spratly Islands that are being claimed by Manila.

Beijing has so far refused to recognise a 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling that rejected its sweeping claim over the South China Sea and ruled that the Philippines has sovereign rights over the waters within its exclusive economic zone.

Imperial said Marcos can be expected to raise the maritime dispute with Xi, including possible joint oil and gas exploration in the disputed waters.

But the president said in early December that the Philippines must find a way to exploit resources in the South China Sea without striking a deal with Beijing.

DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo and his counterpart, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, will be signing an agreement establishing direct communications between both countries’ foreign ministries “to avoid miscalculation and miscommunication” on South China Sea matters.

Some 10 to 14 bilateral agreements covering various areas from agriculture to renewable energy will be signed during the state visit. These include the renewal of the Philippines’ participation in the Belt and Road Initiative, the importation of durian to China, construction of bridges in the Philippines, among others.

Marcos will be accompanied by First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos; his cousin, House Speaker Martin Romualdez; and several Cabinet members and Filipinos businessmen for the state visit.