Dateline Kamuning: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. reported a productive state visit to China, where he underscored his “in-depth and frank” discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a bid to resolve issues on the West Philippine Sea. “President Xi and I also had an in-depth and frank discussion on the West Philippine Sea issue. We took note of our growing maturity of this bilateral relationship – this bilateral relationship which now allows both sides to manage differences on the West Philippine Sea, so as to not allow it to hinder the rest of our fruitful engagements and multi-faceted cooperation,” Marcos said in his arrival statement delivered at the Villamor Air Base.   In his bilateral meeting with President Xi, the chief executive said they affirmed that maritime issues do not comprise the entirety of Philippine-Chinese relations, but acknowledged as well that they remain a significant concern and priority for the Philippines and for the region. The ...

Dateline Kamuning: Considering China as a very important economic partner of the Philippines, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s state visit to Asia’s economic giant will entail signing several business agreements, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary for Asian and Pacific Affairs Nathaniel Imperial said on Thursday. In a press briefing, Imperial said one of the priorities of the President’s visit on Jan. 3 to 5 is to foster stronger economic cooperation with China, and a big business delegation is expected to accompany him.    According to Imperial, there is strong interest from Chinese investors in the Philippine economy, especially in agriculture, renewable energy and nickel processing. “China imports 70 percent of its nickel ore and concentrates requirements from the Philippines. So, there’s a lot of potential in those sectors,” the DFA official told members of the Malacañang Press Corps. Among the agreements to be signed are the finalization of...

    Dateline Kamuning:      President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. reiterated his readiness to pursue the development of oil and gas resources in the West Philippine Sea in an interview with the media yesterday, December 2, 2022.     Consistent with his position favoring dialog and observance of international law, PBBM stressed the need for advancing the possibility of a joint exploration with China, while noting that if the favored government-to-government partnership fails to proceed, the administration will find a way to make it happen.