Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will fly to Beijing on Tuesday for a three-day visit during which he is expected to discuss among other things Beijing’s activities in the disputed South China Sea, which Manila calls illegal.
Speaking before his flight, Marcos said he looked forward to meeting President Xi Jinping and that “the issues between our two countries are problems that are not between two friends like the Philippines and China”.
This would be the second face-to-face meeting between Marcos and Xi after their meeting in Thailand in November, and the Philippines has raised concerns over Chinese construction activities and a “swarm” of Beijing’s ships in disputed waters off South China. Sea.
Last week, a Philippine foreign ministry official said talks with Xi would include China’s actions in the South China Sea.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin did not mention the South China Sea on Friday, but said the visit would “focus on bilateral relations and in-depth exchange of views on regional and international issues of common concern”.
Wang said it would promote cooperation in agriculture, infrastructure, energy and culture to create a “golden age”.