MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants to “reset” the Philippines’ relationship with China and prevent a repeat of recent violent incidents in the West Philippine Sea after summoning Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan to Malacañang.
In a briefing on Thursday, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the July 21 meeting between Marcos and the Chinese envoy lasted about an hour and 20 minutes, during which they exchanged views and suggestions on bilateral issues.
“The President wants these incidents not to happen again, and he hopes to reset the relationship between China and the Philippines toward a better engagement,” Castro said.
READ: Marcos summons Chinese envoy over Ayungin incident
She declined to disclose details of the discussions, saying both sides agreed not to reveal what was specifically discussed.
“But it appears that the President’s message was well received by the Chinese ambassador, and the meeting went well,” Castro said.
According to Castro, Marcos’ objective in summoning Jing was to use the dialogue as an opportunity to improve relations despite ongoing disputes between the two countries.
Marcos summoned Jing to Malacañang after the July 20 confrontation between a China Coast Guard (CCG) team and Philippine Navy personnel near Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, leading to two Filipino soldiers suffering injuries.
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Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro on Wednesday conveyed Manila’s “strong protest over the violent actions” to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in a bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Manila.
Manila earlier said it would file a diplomatic protest against China over the “unacceptable” act of violence against Filipino personnel, and also in response to Beijing’s move to summon Philippine Ambassador to China Jaime FlorCruz over the same incident. /dl
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