VISITING A FRIEND | Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte visits Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday. Duterte says he thanked the Chinese leader for his and his country鈥檚 support during his administration. (Photo courtesy of HUA CHUNYING, spokesperson of the China foreign ministry)
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said he hoped former President Rodrigo Duterte raised the matter of Chinese vessels shadowing Philippine ships in the West Philippine Sea (蜜桃工作室) during the latter鈥檚 unannounced meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday.
Speaking to reporters in Manila, Marcos said he was aware of his predecessor鈥檚 鈥減ersonal鈥� trip to China and his plan to visit Xi, as 鈥渢hey are friends.鈥�
鈥淪o I hope that they talked about the issues that we see now鈥攖he shadowing and other matters,鈥� he said, referring to recent actions by Chinese navy and coast guard ships in the West Philippine Sea, or the waters within the Philippines鈥� 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone, which had been the subject of diplomatic protests by Manila.
鈥淎ll of these things that we are seeing now, I hope they talked about it so that we will have progress because that is what we are really after 鈥� constant dialogue,鈥澛� Marcos said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I welcome any new lines of communication. If that is President PRRD [Duterte] then good. It鈥檚 not important to me who [is talking to China],鈥� he said. 鈥淚 am sure he will be able to tell us what happened during their conversation and see how that affects us.鈥�
Strategic choice
During their meeting, Xi told Duterte to continue to promote cooperation between the two countries, according to Chinese state media, after bilateral relations cooled with the latter鈥檚 successor seeking closer ties with Washington.
鈥淚 hope you will continue to play an important role in the friendly cooperation (between China and the Philippines),鈥� Xi was quoted as saying during the meeting at the Diaoyutai state guesthouse.
鈥淒uring your tenure as president of the Philippines, you had resolutely made the strategic choice to improve relations with China in an attitude of being responsible to the people and to history,鈥� Xi told Duterte.
In response, Duterte promised Xi that he would 鈥渃ontinue contributing to promoting bilateral friendship,鈥� China鈥檚 foreign ministry said in a statement.
Under Marcos, relations between China and the Philippines have grown tense, with Manila pivoting back to its traditional ally, the United States.
The Philippines and the United States reaffirmed a decades-old security alliance during a trip by Marcos to Washington in May, where he met with US President Joe Biden, who said the US commitment to defending its ally was 鈥渋ronclad.鈥�
Asked about Duterte鈥檚 meeting, the Department of Foreign Affairs said it did 鈥渘ot have official information on the visit of the former President.鈥�
Duterte鈥檚 former aide, Sen. Christopher 鈥淏ong鈥� Go, said the 鈥減rivate visit鈥� had nothing to do with politics.
The senator said Duterte had been invited by the Friends of the Philippines Foundation, which built a school building in honor of the former President鈥檚 late mother, Soledad Duterte, but couldn鈥檛 attend its inauguration at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
鈥淚t was only now that he was finally able to accept the invitation. And since he鈥檚 already in China, he made a courtesy visit to his friend, President Xi,鈥� Go told reporters in Bulacan province.
Duterte 鈥渏ust wanted to thank Xi for the support and help that China extended to the Philippines during his term,鈥� he added.
鈥楥leavages, fissures鈥�
But a House opposition leader, Rep. France Castro of ACT Teachers party list, said the meeting only showed that the former President was 鈥渁t Beijing鈥檚 beck and call.鈥�
She said it appeared that Duterte had been 鈥渟ummoned鈥� by Xi to express China鈥檚 displeasure over the Philippines鈥� warmer relations with the United States under the Marcos administration.
鈥淸It] seems that China is displeased with the work of Duterte in convincing the Marcos administration to be cozy with China and instead went to the US to counter China鈥檚 aggressive behavior in the West Philippine Sea,鈥� she said.
Renato de Castro, an international relations professor at De La Salle University, agreed that the visit was China鈥檚 way of sending a signal to the current administration to 鈥渧eer away from what it perceives as US-tilting policies.鈥�
鈥淚 think China already saw that there are already cleavages and fissures within the current administration, with what happened to GMA (former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo), then the marginalization of [Vice President] Sara Duterte,鈥� De Castro said.
But Austin Ong, cofounder of the Philippine-China Friendship Association, said he believed the meeting was 鈥渋nnocent.鈥�
鈥淭hey have a policy of non-intervention. China just has the tendency to [roll out] the red carpet due to the significant contributions of the former President,鈥� he said.