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China looks to boost ties with Philippines ahead of Biden inauguration
- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi set to arrive in Manila on Friday for two days of talks with his Philippine counterpart, Teodoro Locsin Jnr
- America’s new president ‘is likely to reinvigorate the US’ alliance with the Philippines’, academic says
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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will be looking to reinforce Beijing’s ties with Manila during a two-day visit to the Philippines this week, observers say.
His trip comes just a week ahead of the inauguration of US president-elect Joe Biden, who is expected to breath new life into Washington’s Asia policy.
Wang is set to arrive in the Philippines on Friday as part of a week-long trip to Southeast Asia that also included stops in Myanmar and Indonesia. He is expected to meet Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jnr during his stay in the country.
According to a statement by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, the officials will discuss “ways to accelerate mutually beneficial cooperation” in areas such as trade, investment, infrastructure development and coronavirus response.
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Wang’s visit showed the two countries’ commitment to “sustained high-level engagement” and gradually reopening their economies after the pandemic, it said.
The trip comes at a time of intense competition between China and the United States in the Asia-Pacific region, where both powers regard the Philippines as a key player.
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Biden, who will take office next week, has already indicated the emphasis he places on the region with his choice of veteran diplomat Kurt Campbell for the newly created role of Asia tsar.
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