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Marcos Starts 2-Day China Visit w/South China Sea Dispute On Table

PHILIPPINES

Philippine President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. starts a two-day visit to China today, with a long-running dispute between Manila and Beijing over maritime boundaries in the South China Sea set to feature heavily in talks. The discussions will be the second face-to-face meeting between Marcos and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping following a sidelines meeting at the G20 in Bali in November 2022.

  • Marcos before the trip: "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. I also look forward to discussing, political security issues of a bilateral and regional nature."
  • In December 2022, Philippine navy reported that there was a "persistent presence of China militia vessels" in waters around Thitu Island, administered by the Philippines, in the contested Spratly Island group.
  • Marcos' stance signals a change from that of predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, who forged closer relations with China at the expense of long-standing alliance with the US. Marcos looks to be seeking to balance the two, with a hard-line from Manila on the South China Sea issue a clear signal of a more robust stance towards Beijing.

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