Marcos seeks to boost China ties

Au revoir: Marcos and his wife Maria Louise waving as they board a plane for China, at the Villamor Air Base in Manila. — AP

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr flew to Beijing for a three-day visit, during which he is expected to discuss, among other things, Beijing’s activities in the disputed South China Sea that Manila describes as illegal.

Speaking ahead of his flight yesterday, Marcos said he looked forward to meeting President Xi Jinping and that “the issues between our two countries are problems that do not belong between two friends such as the Philippines and China”.