Opinion | Caught in US-China rivalry, Duterte keeps deft balance with eye on 2022 Philippine election

The Philippine president wants to project his difficult balancing act as a demonstration of his independent foreign policy. Whether he endorses a successor or runs as vice-president next year, such a posture is vital in securing the country’s autonomy

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A woman walks across the China-funded Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge in Makati City, the Philippines, on July 29. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 1:00am, 7 Aug 2021Updated: 3:01am, 7 Aug 2021

Inaugurating the first completed China-funded infrastructure project by day and meeting high-level US officials by night, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s diplomatic balancing act continued nine months before the 2022 election.

The two crucial itineraries were packed in the leader’s tight schedule on July 29. The move exemplified the juggling act that the Southeast Asian country has been treading as rivalry between its two key partners deepens.

Duterte led the inauguration of the new four-lane Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge that links Makati – the country’s business hub – and Mandaluyong across the Pasig River. The project funded by a Chinese grant was the first to be realised under Duterte’s watch.

Another one in the works, the Binondo-Intramuros Bridge, is expected to open by December. The two bridges can help ease Manila’s traffic congestion. These projects underpin Beijing’s role in Manila’s multi-year “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure programme, the scale and timetable of which were tempered by the Covid-19 pandemic.

That China remains committed to underwriting these projects despite the global financial crunch augurs well for the Philippines’ bid to reduce its connectivity deficit. The projects are also expected to spur economic activity critical for the country’s recovery.

Construction workers look out from the Binondo-Intramuros Bridge, which connects the areas of Binondo, known as Chinatown, and Intramuros, in Manila, the Philippines, on June 22. This and other China-funded projects underpin Beijing’s role in Manila’s multi-year “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure programme. Photo: Bloomberg

Aside from the two bridges, China is also involved in building a dam that will supply water to Metro Manila, an irrigation project in northern Luzon and railways in the main island of Luzon and the second biggest island of Mindanao.