South China Sea: Philippines’ Marcos wants ‘to resolve the conflicts’ with Beijing, says he’s open to working with China’s military

The Philippines’ new president said Manila’s relationship with Beijing is ‘not only one dimension’ and should be about more than just their South China Sea row

‘Let’s have cultural exchanges, educational exchanges, even military, if that will be useful,’ he said, ahead of a visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi

Reading Time:3 minutes

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr speaks at his inauguration ceremony in Manila on June 30. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 9:18am, 6 Jul 2022Updated: 3:19pm, 6 Jul 2022

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr wants Manila’s ties with Beijing to be about more than their South China Sea dispute, saying relations should extend to cultural, educational and “even military” exchanges.

“We have our relationship not only on one dimension,” Marcos told a news conference on Tuesday ahead of a visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, part of his tour of Southeast Asia. Wang is visiting the Philippines on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Marcos said he would try to “find ways to work to resolve the conflicts that we have,” so bilateral relations could normalise after years of maritime disputes – with room for ties to expand to new areas.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrives at Villamor Airbase in Pasay City, Metro Manila, on Tuesday evening. Photo: EPA-EFE

He said he plans to “strengthen ties between China and the Philippines” during the meeting with Wang. The Southeast Asian nation’s links with China should be strengthened and are not limited to the disputed sea, he said.

“Let’s add to that: let’s have cultural exchanges, educational exchanges, even military, if that will be useful,” Marcos added.

Marcos has a tricky balancing act in boosting business ties with China while maintaining close relations with defence ally the United States, a former colonial power that still holds sway in the Philippines.

The new Philippine leader has expressed intent to elevate ties with China but has also vowed to stand firm against any threat it poses to Philippine sovereign interests.