Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr looks to shift relations with China into a ‘higher gear’ after visit to Beijing

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has said he hopes to move relations with China into a “higher gear” ahead of his first visit to Beijing since taking office last year.

Marcos, who landed in Beijing on Tuesday for a three-day trip, said that he hopes to discuss security issues with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping “in a bid to settle problems in a friendly manner” and “seek to resolve those issues to the mutual benefit of the two countries”.

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Although the latest statement from Manila did not say so explicitly, the Philippine foreign ministry said last week the president will raise the territorial dispute in the South China Sea and pursue energy cooperation when he meets Xi.

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“As I leave for Beijing, I will be opening a new chapter in our comprehensive strategic cooperation with China ... I look forward to my meeting with President Xi as we work towards shifting the trajectory of our relations to a higher gear that would hopefully bring numerous prospects and abundant opportunities for the peace and development to the peoples of both our countries,” Marcos said.

The Philippines and China are expected to sign more than 10 agreements during the visit, in areas such as trade and investment, energy as well as infrastructure, according to the presidential office in Manila.

Marcos also said he hopes to encourage Chinese tourists, students and investors to come back to the Philippines.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said last week that China hopes to see relations with the Philippines enter a “golden era”.

Marcos will be making his first visit to China since succeeding Rodrigo Duterte as president last June.

Duterte dramatically shifted the country’s foreign policy by seeking closer ties with China and a “separation” from the United States during his six years in office.

However, the South China Sea dispute remains unresolved and since Marcos took office, the country has stepped up its protests about Beijing’s actions in the disputed waters.

Last month Manila accused dozens of Chinese boats of “swarming” the South China Sea and also filed a diplomatic protest to Beijing over a Chinese coastguard ship that the Philippine military said had used force to retrieve a piece of rocket that was being towed by a Philippine vessel.

China’s embassy in Manila accused the US of driving a wedge between the Philippines and Beijing after Washington backed its ally’s complaint.

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China claims vast swathes of the South China Sea that overlap the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines. Trillions of dollars in trade flow every year through the waterway, which also contains rich fishing grounds and gas fields.

Despite the ongoing dispute, Manila said last week that the Philippines will open a new line of communication with China to prevent an accidental escalation of maritime tensions and is expected to formalise that process during the visit.

Hu Zhiyong, director of the Institute of International Relations at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said. “It is clear that Marcos’ visit is mainly to boost economic ties between the two countries. It will also help move bilateral relations towards a more stable direction.”

Of the South China Sea dispute, Hu said: “As long as the problem is well managed, this is a small problem in the bilateral relationship.”

Hu said it could be seen that the Philippines is trying to take a “balanced” approach between China and the US, which are in a keen competition to expand influence in the region.

“Seeking to balance relations with both Washington and Beijing is a better approach for foreign policy from the Philippine perspective ,” Hu said.

More from South China Morning Post:

• Philippines’ bid to deepen China ties not likely to raise alarm bells in US: analysts
• Philippines’ Marcos heads to Beijing with trade, investment and maritime issues on his mind
• South China Sea: Philippines ‘seriously concerned’ at reports of more Chinese island-building

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