While military officers hope the move will bring ‘lasting peace’, Duterte supporters describe Marcos Jnr’s surprise bid to resume talks as ‘stupid’ and ‘unpatriotic’.
Monday's surprise meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Rodrigo Duterte was a bid to rally support in the Philippines for a friendlier China policy as Manila moves closer to Washington, according to analysts. During their talks in Beijing on Monday, Xi urged former Philippine president Duterte to "play an important role in the friendly cooperation between the two countries". Xi said Duterte - known for his pro-China approach - had made a "strategic choice" to improve ties with Beijing wh
The Philippines on Wednesday said that it won t allow the United States to stockpile weapons that could be deployed to defend Taiwan on bases Washington has access to under the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).
Washington has access to nine sites near the Taiwan Strait and the disputed South China Sea under a defence pact with Manila. China has sharply criticised the military deal.
Lucio Blanco Pitlo III is a research fellow at the Asia-Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation, fellow at the University of the Philippines Korea Research Centre, lecturer at the Chinese Studies Programme at Ateneo de Manila University, and contributing editor (Reviews) for the Asian Politics & Policy Journal.