President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s state visit to China, and his planned state visit to the United States of America in mid-2023 clearly signal how crucial it is to find mutual interests and common ground, Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda noted.
The Philippine President brought to the attention of Chinese President Xi Jinping the need to open communications between the two countries on the Philippine maritime claim over the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
Legarda, former chairperson of the Senate foreign relations committee, noted that since there start of his administration, President Marcos has emphasized that the Philippines would have an independent foreign policy, “a friend to all and an enemy to none.”
The lady lawmaker pointed out that in the face of changing geopolitical conditions, “we need to keep exploring avenues of open communications without sacrificing our rights and the benefits from our resources’’.
“We only hope the reassurances to our fishermen and the high level bilateral team with full access to their Presidents will bring the needed balance to Philippine-China relations,” she said.
“I am also glad that the President brought up the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of rhe Sea), which along with the (2016) Arbitral Award, should continue to be the basis of this new relationship being forged,” she added.
The United States has sided with the Philippine’s in its victory at the UN Arbitration Court.