Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., right, waves beside wife Maria Louise as they board a plane for China on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, at the Villamor Air Base in Manila, Philippines. Alluding to the two countries’ territorial dispute in the South China Sea, he said he looks forward to discussing bilateral and regional political and security issues. “The issues between our two countries are problems that do not belong between two friends such as Philippines and China,” he added. Most recently, a Filipino military commander reported that the Chinese coast guard forcibly seized Chinese rocket debris that Filipino navy personnel had retrieved in the South China Sea last month. China accounts for 20% of the Philippines’ foreign trade and is also a major source of foreign direct investment.

Source: The Standard January 03, 2023 07:28 UTC