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China offers talks on oil exploration deal with Philippines as presidents Xi Jinping and Ferdinand Marcos meet
- Beijing has said it will make relations with Manila a priority as it seeks to stop the country moving further into the US orbit
- Xi says China wants to settle its disputes through consultation, but does not mention the South China Sea – a frequent area of complaints for Manila
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Chinese President Xi Jinping has offered to open talks on a joint gas and oil exploration deal with the Philippines, as he pledged to make relations with Manila a diplomatic priority.
Meeting Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr on Wednesday, Xi said the two countries should work together to become a stabilising force in the region.
It is Marcos’s first visit to China since he succeeded Rodrigo Duterte as president in June, although he and Xi met in Bangkok in November on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit.
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The trip is seen as crucial to China’s efforts to stop a key member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations getting closer to the United States amid the heightened rivalry between Washington and Beijing.
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Philippines’ Marcos hopes to take relations with Beijing to ‘higher gear’ during China visit
Philippines’ Marcos hopes to take relations with Beijing to ‘higher gear’ during China visit
Xi played up his personal connections with Marcos, and complimented his father, former president Ferdinand Marcos Snr, who established formal diplomatic ties with China in his presidency.
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