In the U.S.-China Duel, the Philippines Has Chosen a Side, Says Xiamen University Southeast Asia Scholar

A US.. army soldier fires a Javelin anti-tank weapon system during the live exercise as part of the US-Philippines joint military exercise "Balikatan" at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija province, north of Manila on April 13, 2023. Ted ALJIBE / AFP

When Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. was elected president of the Philippines last year, there was a lot of hope in Beijing that he would reset ties with China after six turbulent years of Rodrigo Duterte’s unpredictable foreign policy.

Now, less than a year later, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that a reset is indeed happening, just not the way that China had anticipated.

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by Eric Olander

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