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Mao Zedong greets then Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos in September 1974. Photo: Twitter

That Mao kiss: will it be like the old times for China as Marcos Jnr takes helm in Manila?

  • Famous photo of Chairman Mao kissing Imelda Marcos’ hand still marks high point of bilateral relations
  • Amid claims of ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jnr’s victory being a win for China, observer warns against overstating family ties

To many Chinese, probably one of the best known photos of Chairman Mao Zedong is one where the ailing leader kisses the hand of the first lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos.

It was shot in September 1974, at the height of the Cultural Revolution and months before late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos’s official trip to China marked the normalisation of bilateral relations.

As the president’s special envoy, Imelda Marcos was tasked with making preparations for her husband’s June 1975 state visit.

The kiss caused a sensation in China. Marcos later also recalled it as one of her proudest moments, as Mao rarely agreed to meet any foreign dignitaries in his later years.

“He took my hand and kissed it … And that was the beginning of the end of the Cold War. Because the Philippines was America junior … do you see how serious that was?” she told Agence France-Presse in 2009.

She is also reported to have been fondly remembered by Mao and his wife Jiang Qing for gifting them a case of mangoes, the Philippine national fruit that was rarely seen in China back then.

The 1974 trip helped consolidate the Marcos family’s deep ties with Beijing that have somehow stood the test of time.

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Philippine election: Bongbong Marcos’ supporters celebrate landslide presidential victory

Philippine election: Bongbong Marcos’ supporters celebrate landslide presidential victory
So much so that many believe the victory of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jnr – the deposed dictator’s son – in Monday’s Philippine presidential election could also be viewed as a win for China.

Beijing welcomed the return of the Marcos family to the Philippines’ top office 36 years after a “People Power” revolt ousted his father and sent him into exile for stealing billions of US dollars from the national purse and mass human rights abuses.

The two countries, “facing each other across the waters, enjoy a long-standing traditional friendship”, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry said, adding that China remained “committed to good-neighbourliness” under the incoming president.

Balancing act between China, US in new Marcos era in the Philippines

Jay Batongbacal, a professor in the College of Law at the University of the Philippines, said Chinese officials, including Beijing’s top envoy to Manila, have highlighted China’s friendship with the Marcos family. They also credited Marcos Jnr’s father with Manila’s decision to switch diplomatic ties from Taiwan to Beijing in 1975, he noted.

That year, Marcos Jnr had accompanied his parents on their Beijing trip, during which Mao and then Chinese premier Zhou Enlai offered their support for Marcos’s imposition of martial law.

In exchange for Manila’s recognition that Taiwan was a part of China, the Chinese leaders promised that Beijing would not intervene in the internal affairs in the Southeast Asian nation.

Bongbong Marcos and his mother Imelda Marcos with Mao Zedong. Photo: Handout

Last year, the Chinese embassy in Manila gave Imelda Marcos an award, recognising her contribution to “fostering and promoting understanding” between the two countries.

Batongbacal said China might have “probably quite a lot” of influence on the president-elect, considering Marcos Jnr’s statements both before and during his campaign. “China is likely to cultivate its relations with the family, and by extension the Philippines, even more,” he said.

According to Batongbacal, Marcos would probably continue his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte’s policies and attitudes toward China, and possibly take further steps to bring the two nations closer.

“It is possible that he will be even more willing to accommodate China than Duterte himself with respect to the South China Sea,” he said.

01:22

Philippines reports incident of close ‘manoeuvring’ by China coastguard ship near Scarborough Shoal

Philippines reports incident of close ‘manoeuvring’ by China coastguard ship near Scarborough Shoal

Yun Sun, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, also believes Marcos Jnr would be easier for Beijing to deal with compared to his opponent Leni Robredo, who is more critical of China.

“Based on what Marcos has said, he appears committed to continuing the path his predecessor has picked, which is closer ties with Beijing. But on the other hand, he has also supported the alliance with the US,” Sun said.

She also noted Washington’s human rights concerns about Marcos, just like with Duterte.

Marcos Jnr has defended his father’s legacy and steadfastly refuses to apologise for or even acknowledge the atrocities and plunder under his authoritarian watch.

“This could be a major roadblock for [Manila’s] relations with Washington. There is a bit of uncertainty related to the future of US-Philippine relations because the exact US position on Marcos is not entirely clear from the Biden administration,” she said.

Will Bongbong Marcos be the first Philippine president who cannot visit the US?

However, a Southeast Asian affairs expert with Jinan University in Guangzhou, Zhang Mingliang, said while there was no denying his parents’ influence on Marcos Jnr, especially that of his mother, his family ties with China should not be overstated. The family’s ties with China had largely cooled after Marcos senior was overthrown in 1986, Zhang noted.

“It’s true that Imelda Marcos played a historical role in bridging the differences between China and the Philippines during the Cold War and her fond views on China would certainly have impacts on her son,” he explained. “But it may not be wise to play up their family ties with China because at the end of the day we have to watch how he views and approaches China.”

Zhang also cautioned against rosy expectations that Marcos Jnr would make major concessions on the maritime dispute with China, citing the hardening of popular views on Beijing in the Philippines and Manila’s decades-long security dependence on Washington.

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