Article by:
Darryl John Esguerra
MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said a “reset” in Philippine-China relations may be inevitable as global geopolitical dynamics continue to shift, while reiterating Manila’s position against war amid the ongoing Middle East conflict.
In an interview with Bloomberg made public Tuesday, Marcos pointed to ongoing changes in international relations driven by rising global tensions.
“I think it's certainly going to happen… It's happening now,” the President said when asked if a “reset” of ties with China is on the table.
He noted a wider restructuring in international systems.
“There's going to be a very, very serious restructuring. I remember I was watching Prime Minister Wong from Singapore and he was saying there will be, we will have to withdraw, redraw, all of our, even our legal relationships in terms of international law, in terms of all of these things.”
“They will have a lasting effect, and there is, there will have to be a new normal.”
Marcos said the Philippines continues to separate its territorial disputes with China from economic engagement.
“We've always tried to differentiate the territorial disputes from our trade arrangements. And many, many investments.. still, of the big programs here of the government are coming from China.”
“And they have not used this as somehow, they haven't leveraged this in any way. In quite the contrary, they've been very, very helpful in terms of, for example, fertilizer, which is, we import a great deal of fertilizer from China.”
The Philippines and China have been locked in a long-standing maritime dispute in the West Philippine Sea, part of the vast and resource-rich South China Sea which Beijing claims as entirely its own.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines, invalidating China’s sweeping claims. However, Beijing has refused to honor the landmark ruling.
On the joint development of gas resources in disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea, Marcos said discussions remain ongoing.
“Something that we've been talking about for a great deal. But the territorial disputes will get in the way of that. Maybe this will be, provides impetus for both sides to come to an agreement,” he said.
No to war
Asked about the ongoing conflict involving Iran, Marcos emphasized the Philippines’ position.
The Philippines, a longtime ally of the United States, has maintained its stance of pursuing peace while safeguarding national interests amid evolving global tensions.
“We never want war. Our foreign policy is very, very simple. It's peace and the national interest,” he said.
“That's it. And war is never in the national interest as far as the Philippines is concerned. And so we just are hoping that this ends soon and that whatever recalibration will be done as quickly as possible, so we can get back to work.”
“And that's really where the Philippines is. We are watching, waiting, hoping and praying that this ends soon.”
Talks with Russia
In the same interview, Marcos bared that the Philippines is exploring the possibility of securing fuel supply from Russia, the country’s non-traditional trading partner.
“Russia is not a traditional supplier of crude oil to the Philippines or any energy supply, but we are exploring that as well,” he said.
“Basically, we are trying anything, everything to secure supply because that’s the one thing that we can do about. The pricing is going to be a much more difficult challenge because everyone is a price taker when it comes to oil.”
The push to diversify suppliers comes as the government operates under a declared national energy emergency, triggered by escalating tensions in the Middle East where the Philippines gets the majority of its oil supply. (PNA)
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