Marcos touts ties with ‘good friend’ Beijing as Philippines issues new South China Sea protest

The President-elect said cooperation with others, including ‘strongest partner’ China, would hasten his country’s economic recovery

His comments came as the foreign ministry lodged a fresh diplomatic protest against China’s maritime activities within Manila’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone

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Philippine coast guard personnel patrol the sea off Maracanao Island in Palawan province. Photo: Philippine Coast Guard / AFP

Published: 10:30am, 11 Jun 2022Updated: 4:21pm, 11 Jun 2022

Philippine President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jnr said China was his nation’s “strongest partner” in pandemic recovery, even as the foreign ministry filed a fresh protest against Beijing’s presence in the South China Sea.

Manila’s relationship with China was “very important” and “advantageous to both countries”, Marcos said on Friday during a live-streamed event. He also pledged to pursue an independent foreign policy, while fostering people-to-people ties with Beijing.

Marcos said cooperation with others would hasten his country’s economic recovery. “We can only do it with our partners, and our strongest partner has always been – in that regard – our close neighbour, our good friend, the People’s Republic of China.”

President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jnr says China is the Philippines’ ‘good friend’. File photo: Reuters

His comments came as the foreign ministry late on Friday said it had lodged a fresh diplomatic protest against China’s maritime activities within Manila’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone.

It was the second diplomatic protest by the ministry this week, adding to more than 300 complaints filed against Beijing’s “illegal” activities in the South China Sea.

The foreign ministry said the Chinese actions took place at the Second Thomas Shoal, claimed by both Beijing and Manila and is located 105 nautical miles (195km) off the Philippines’ Palawan province.

01:22

Philippines reports incident of close ‘manoeuvring’ by China coastguard ship near Scarborough Shoal

China engaged in “illegal fishing” while Chinese coast guard vessels shadowed Philippine boats on a resupply mission around its shoal, the foreign ministry said in a statement.