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Balancing act between China and the US in new Marcos era in the Philippines
- Marcos Jnr may move closer to Washington but also pursue a friendly policy towards Beijing
- Unofficial results show he has swept to a landslide victory in the country’s presidential election
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The Philippines under Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jnr – who has swept to a landslide victory in the country’s presidential election – is expected to tread a careful line between China and the United States, observers say.
Marcos Jnr, the son of the Philippines’ late dictator, is widely expected to follow his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte’s diplomatic approach of balancing a strong alliance with Washington and economic ties with Beijing.
But observers in the region say that while he may move closer to treaty ally the US, Marcos Jnr is unlikely to side with Washington to counter Beijing – even as the two Asian countries remain locked in a territorial dispute over the South China Sea.
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“The Philippine president is at the helm of foreign policy, and different presidents will have different policy orientations,” said Dai Fan, a Philippine affairs expert with Jinan University in Guangzhou. “Marcos Jnr is likely to pursue a friendly policy towards China.”
Beijing on Tuesday congratulated Marcos Jnr after unofficial results showed he had won the presidency with a huge margin over his main rival Leni Robredo.
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