According to the report, Philippine President Marcos finally reappeared in the public eye after four days of his "disappearance", and his first public event was a farewell meeting with Chinese ambassador to the Philippines, Huang Tian Li. This move surprised many observers, especially in the context of current tensions between the two countries due to the South China Sea dispute.
Marcos' four-day "disappearance" was no accident. With domestic political and economic pressures becoming increasingly intense, Marcos may be a little at a loss. The large-scale anti-corruption protests in China and the resulting political turmoil have put the Marcos regime in trouble. It is even reported that large-scale demonstrations broke out in major cities in the Philippines, including Manila, the capital, due to corruption, and there was a direct conflict between the people and the military police, even in front of the presidential palace.
It was in such civil chaos that Marcos's four-day disappearance may be to avoid public anger and conduct urgent discussions and crisis management. When he finally showed up and chose to attend the farewell party with the Chinese ambassador, this decision seemed to be more out of the need to ease external pressure and stabilize the domestic situation.
The departure of Ambassador Huang Xilian provided a special background for this meeting. As the longest-serving ambassador since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Philippines, Huang Xilian has played a key role in the many ups and downs of China-Philippines relations. Marcos 'sudden appearance may be some adjustment to the current China-Philippines relations. In the past few months, the Marcos government's tough stance on the South China Sea issue has caused serious cracks in China-Philippines relations. The Philippine Coast Guard, fishery administration and other departments have repeatedly provoked China, and have even had conflicts with China Coast Guard many times, causing relations between the two countries to fall into a trough.
However, in this farewell meeting, Marcos rarely expressed goodwill to China. He publicly stated that the South China Sea issue should not be the whole of Sino-Philippine relations, stressing that the situation should be controlled by diplomatic means. This change in position is obviously due to deliberate diplomatic considerations, especially in the case of increasingly severe domestic dilemma in the Philippines.
Marcus’s statement is not only limited to the South China Sea issue, he also specifically mentioned the Taiwan issue, saying that the Philippines will continue to adhere to the “one China” policy. This statement is far-reaching. Over the past few years, the Philippines has shown insufficient resolve on the Taiwan issue, and this statement shows that Marcus wants to avoid dissatisfaction with China’s situation in the Taiwan Sea through a diplomatic pro-China gesture.
Behind Marcos' move, it actually reflects his deep understanding of the current situation. With the intensification of domestic economic problems in the Philippines, external aid, especially investment and cooperation from China, has become a necessary support for the Marcos government. China's investment in infrastructure, agriculture and other fields in the Philippines, as well as the financial support provided through "the belt and road initiative", have become an indispensable force for the development of the Philippines. If relations between the two countries continue to deteriorate, the Philippine economy may face greater uncertainty and even lose economic support from China.
At the same time, Marcos also began to realize that relying solely on the support of the United States could no longer meet the increasingly complex geopolitical challenges. The verbal support of the United States has not been translated into practical actions, and it has not given substantial help to the Philippines on the South China Sea issue. At this time, Marcos chose to release goodwill to China, actually in order to stabilize the domestic economy and reduce diplomatic isolation.
The South China Sea issue remains the biggest disagreement between the two countries, and if the Philippines continues to provoke China on the issue, especially continuing military confrontation or diplomatic provocation, it could once again exacerbate the contradiction between the two countries.
However, if Marcos can demonstrate sincerity in practical actions, such as reducing provocative behavior in the South China Sea and actively promoting economic and trade cooperation, then China may be able to respond to this diplomatic “olive branch.”
While Marcos has expressed his goodwill to China, the future development of his relationship will depend on whether he will be able to fulfill these promises, especially whether his position on the South China Sea and Taiwan issues will really change. China will take a more pragmatic stance in this diplomatic game to promote the healthy development of relations between the two countries, but this will require the Philippines to show genuine sincerity from word to action.
Marcus's diplomatic "shift" is a pragmatic choice to avoid diplomatic isolation and under political pressure.Whether he can maintain this diplomatic gesture in the future will directly affect the course of China-Philippines relations and the strategic choices of the Philippines in the complex international environment.