President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (L) meets Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, during the first full day of his state visit to China on Wednesday, January 4, 2022.
MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Wednesday told China’s top legislator Li Zhanshu that improving bilateral ties with the Asian economic giant is “of primary importance” for the Philippines.
During his meeting with the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress in Beijing, Marcos expressed belief that his three-day state visit to China “is extremely important for both our countries.”
But he noted that the Philippines mainly puts a premium in advancing its ties with China.
“Certainly, we consider, in the Philippines, as of primary importance to increase the relationship and strengthen the relationship between China and the Philippines,” Marcos said in a snippet of the meeting shared by RTVMalacañang.
He also pointed out that the agreements both nations are set to seal “will be partnerships that will stabilize and strengthen all our economies, so we can face the challenges and different shocks that now, we are already beginning to feel and will continue to feel in the next few years.”
In a statement, the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) quoted Marcos saying the meeting with Li and other Chinese officials was done to “reaffirm our commitment to the friendship between the Philippines and China.”
It likewise sought to reiterate the country’s aim of improving the strategic partnership of the Philippines with China and the entire Asia Pacific Region.
Marcos, said the OPS, had also bared hopes that China would continue investing in the Philippines.
According to the OPS, Marcos acknowledged that disagreements haunt the ties between both nations, but he called for this not to define the entirety of their relations.
The Philippine-China relationship should go beyond existing tensions and cover commerce, culture, education, trade and investment, and people-to-people exchanges, it added—still citing Marcos.
The President and his Philippine delegation will be in China until January 5.
More than 10 bilateral agreements are set to be signed during the state visit, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
But the ongoing dispute between both nations over the West Philippine Sea, which has caused decades-long strains in the country’s relationship with China, is also among those expected to be raised in Marcos’ lineup of meetings with Chinese leaders.
READ: Marcos told: Don’t set aside maritime row in state visit to China
DFA Assistant Secretary Nathaniel Imperial, in a press briefing at the Malacañang last week, said Marcos “will discuss the full range of our bilateral relations–both the positive aspects of it and the sensitive aspects of our relations, which includes the issue of the West Philippine Sea and China’s activities in the area.”