appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Jeoffrey Maitem

President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s recent call to Filipino-Chinese businessmen to boost Manila’s bilateral ties with Beijing has raised the possibility that the Philippine leader is softening his stance on China.
However, while the president’s sudden pivot could signal a recalibration of his approach, observers say the move is unlikely to yield any results in the near term because of his earlier hardline policy, including a statement earlier this month by his defence chief at a major security summit in Singapore.
At an oath-taking ceremony of 265 newly elected officers of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc at the group’s office in Manila on Tuesday, Marcos urged business leaders to promote the country as a “dependable economic partner” to China.
“You are uniquely positioned to help deepen our international partnerships, particularly, of course, with China. Stronger ties mean better trade, greater investments, and enhanced collaboration,” the president said.
“Our story is shaped not just by treaties or official documents, but by consistent cooperation: relief efforts in times of crisis, educational initiatives, cultural exchanges and economic ventures.”

Wilson Lee Flores, a political-economic analyst and honorary chairman of the Anvil Business Club in Manila who attended the event, said traders were surprised by the president’s tone.
Days earlier, Marcos also had sugar-coated words for the Chinese ambassador in Manila, he said. “He was very friendly with the ambassador, and his speech struck a cordial tone. He asked for help in strengthening ties with China, but that’s not the federation’s main focus. It seems he’s recalibrating his policy.”
According to Flores, “China is sceptical of countries that keep on talking nice words and diplomacy but play out differently. I hope not, but to me, that’s good news compared to negative actions and negative words.”
In January, Marcos hit out at China, taking issue with Beijing’s comments over the deployment of US Typhon missile launchers used in joint drills with the Philippines. The arsenal has been a sore point for Beijing amid the regional superpower rivalry.
“We don’t make any comments on their missile systems and their missile systems are a thousand times more powerful than what we have,” Marcos said. He offered to remove the mid-range Typhon system only if Beijing ceased its “aggressive and coercive behaviour” in the South China Sea.
Economic factors could be at play behind Marcos’ apparent shift, said Ramon Beleno III, head of the political science and history department at Ateneo de Davao University. In the coming months, according to Beleno, Manila is expected to face a mounting budget deficit, which could further drag down Marcos’ popularity ratings.
A recent survey by market researcher OCTA showed the president’s performance and trust ratings dipping to 60 per cent and 59 per cent, respectively, in April, down from 65 per cent and 64 per cent in late 2024. In contrast, Vice-President Sara Duterte’s performance and trust ratings were at 58 per cent and 56 per cent, respectively, up from 49 per cent and 48 per cent.
Foreign investment pledges in the Philippines dropped by 82 per cent in the first quarter of this year, falling to 27.99 billion pesos (US$5 billion) from 155.26 billion pesos last year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. The sharp decline is due to investor caution over global and local challenges.


“This is the effect also of our dispute with China. The Chinese investors have no more interest in putting up business in the country,” Beleno told This Week in Asia.
“I think [Filipino politicians] are also starting to feel the consequences of distancing themselves from China. I can see the worst effect would be on investment, considering China is our largest trading partner aside from the US. That’s the reason why he is reaching out to the Chinese community.”
When he won the presidential race in 2022, Marcos embraced the United States and other democratic allies, allowing American bases in the country and disregarding predecessor Rodrigo Duterte’s favourable policy towards China.
Marcos also issued strong pronouncements on disputes in the South China Sea and promised not to abandon “even one square inch” of Philippine territory there to any foreign power.
At the Shangri-La Dialogue on June 1, Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr repeated Marcos’ hardline stance.
“China has a lot of trust building to do,” he said in his speech. “To be an effective negotiating partner in dispute settlement, we have to call a spade a spade. And that’s what we see. And that is the biggest stumbling block to dispute resolution or dialogue with China.”
Balancing trade and defence
“If Chinese leaders hear his appeal, I won’t be surprised if there are conditions coming from China if both nations return to the negotiating table,” Beleno said, pointing also to other pressure points such as four new military-site accesses given to the US in 2023, on top of an existing five under the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement.
In wanting to grow economic clout with China while building defences against its military power, Manila was no different from countries such as Australia, Japan and even the US, Chris Gardiner, CEO of the Institute for Regional Security, told This Week in Asia.
“It’s the greatest challenge of the 21st century in the Indo-Pacific,” Gardiner said. “China is both strategic and tactical in economic policy, and can be pragmatic. It uses growing dependence on its trade coercively from time to time as part of broader political and strategic strategy. Every country trading with China must manage this risk.”

Teddy Casiño, former congressman from the opposition party-list group Bayan Muna, said that while there might be disagreements with China, it was important that the overall relationship was not solely defined by the maritime row.
“If the objective is to have better ties with China, those will remain token and empty gestures as long as the Philippines lacks a truly independent foreign policy,” Casiño warned. “While [Marcos] is saying all those words, in terms of actions, he is is closer to the US. I don’t think China will buy that.”
He expressed hope that the recalibration would mean Marcos would seek stronger economic ties with China as a balm to soothe military and territorial tensions.
“But it’s always a two-way street. If China continues to insist on its indisputable sovereignty over the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, it would be unfair for them to expect improved relations.”


Why younger Filipinos are warming to China despite maritime tensions

Why Brunei prefers ‘quiet diplomacy’ over confrontation in South China Sea

Collision near Sabina Shoal sparks fresh escalation between China and the Philippines

Teodoro for president? Philippine defence chief draws 2028 election buzz after China clash

China-Philippines relations

Philippines’ Marcos softens stance amid economic pressures but will China bite?

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr addresses a press conference at the Malacanang presidential palace on June 4. Photo: AFP

Marcos (right) and his family lead Independence Day flag-raising and wreath-laying rites at the Jose Rizal monument on Thursday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr delivers his speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 1. Photo: EPA-EFE

Grounded Chinese ship near Philippine-held island sparks concerns of more grey-zone tactics

A video image shows a Chinese vessel passing through shallow waters off Philippine-occupied Thitu Island in the disputed South China Sea on June 7. Photo: Armed Forces of the Philippines, Public Affairs Office via AP

A Philippine marine stands guard at a pier on Thitu Island in the disputed South China Sea on June 4. Photo: AFP

A Chinese coastguard ship seen near the Philippine-occupied Thitu Island in the disputed South China Sea on June 3. Photo: AFP

Philippine Navy adds new bases in Subic Bay, Mindanao amid South China Sea tensions

Philippine Navy vessels docked at Subic Bay in Zambales. Photo: Jeoffrey Maitem

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr (centre) waves from a newly built warship at Subic naval base on May 20. Photo: Kyodo

Manila and Beijing’s overlapping claims in the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea. Map: SCMP

China ‘has a lot of trust building to do’ in South China Sea, Philippines says

Chinese military aircraft are pictured parked on the tarmac of an airfield on Woody Island, in the disputed Paracel archipelago in the South China Sea, on May 19. Photo: Maxar Technologies/Reuters

Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr delivers a speech at the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore on Sunday. Photo: EPA-EFE

A US missile system fires a projectile during a live-fire joint drill in the Philippines in April. Photo: AP

China’s Rear Admiral Hu Gangfeng at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on Friday. Photo: Reuters

Now or never? Philippine’s Marcos calls to fast track South China Sea code amid scepticism

A Chinese Coast Guard ship (left) uses a water cannon and sideswipes a Philippine fisheries vessel on a research mission near Sandy Cay in the disputed South China Sea on Wednesday. Photo: Philippine Coast Guard/AP

Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr at the 46th Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Monday. Photo: dpa

A China Coast Guard ship (left) deploys a water cannon against a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources ship near Sandy Cay reef in the disputed South China Sea on Wednesday. Photo: Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources/Philippine Coast Guard/AFP

With 50 years of history, Manila and Beijing should do better diplomacy

Allowing security issues to dominate relations is neither wise nor strategic. Photo: Shutterstock

Vietnam’s reclamation on its occupied features in Spratly Islands is progressing rapidly. In just five months, nearly 2.23 sq km were reclaimed on seven features. Since October 2021, over 7.73 sq km have been expanded on 11 features. Photo: X @SCS_PI

This Week in Asia

Politics

Economics

News

Asia

Southeast Asia

The Philippine president’s close ties with the US could prove a stumbling block to better relations with Beijing, observers say


The Philippine president’s close ties with the US could prove a stumbling block to better relations with Beijing, observers say.


Philippines’ Marcos softens stance amid economic pressures but will China bite?

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The Philippine president’s close ties with the US could prove a stumbling block to better relations with Beijing, observers say

The Philippine president’s close ties with the US could prove a stumbling block to better relations with Beijing, observers say