The Philippines is trying to gradually establish “stable foundations” for its relations with China before tackling tougher problems such as the long-running South China Sea dispute, according to the country’s ambassador to Beijing.
“We need a new equilibrium in our relations with China. Both sides (have agreed) to take incremental or baby steps towards that,” Jaime FlorCruz told the South China Morning Post.
“That means a relationship that is stable, that is predictable, that is not subject to jerks (and) ups and downs … We’re trying to manage our differences while at the same time searching for convergence of interests.”
His comments, coming weeks after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said he was resetting his country’s ties with Beijing, may be another sign of a sharp recalibration of Philippine foreign policy in the face of geopolitical shocks such as the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Tensions between Beijing and Manila have risen under Marcos, with repeated clashes around disputed islets in the South China Sea.
Beijing claims sovereignty over almost all the islands and features in the South China Sea and their adjacent waters.
Its claims overlap with those of several neighbouring countries, including Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam, but the Philippines has been the most vocal rival claimant.
Yet signs of a thaw have emerged in recent months, including plans for joint patrols in disputed waters and a meeting between senior diplomats last month, which was the first of its kind for three years.
Marcos told Bloomberg last month that a reset in relations with China was “happening now” and “there’s going to be a very, very serious restructuring”.
China is already the Philippines’ largest trading partner, and FlorCruz said Manila was pushing for more trade and investment, as well as boosting tourism and other people-to-people exchanges, as part of the reset in relations.
“We are back to the basic foundational steps … We hope that by achieving a stable foundation of relations, then we can continue talking over the contentious issues,” he said.
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