As Philippines tweaks US-China balance, ‘mixed messages’ could upset Beijing

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s “mixed messages” in his overtures to the United States could run the risk of upsetting China further with his lack of a coherent foreign policy strategy, analysts have said.

Since becoming president in June 2022, Marcos Jnr has been leaning towards strengthening ties with the US, the Philippines’ long-time ally. He met US President Joe Biden in New York last September and followed that up with a White House visit earlier this month.

Manila also recently granted US soldiers access to its military bases close to Taiwan under the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), with Marcos Jnr saying on May 4 the sites would not be used as “staging areas for any offensive action against any country”. China had previously expressed opposition to an expanded US military presence in the Philippines.

However, on the same day, Marcos Jnr said in a Reuters interview that the two EDCA bases near Taiwan would “prove to be useful for us should that terrible occurrence come about ... Then the safety of our Filipino nationals in Taiwan becomes of primordial importance”.