On March 24, President Marcos Jr. publicly thanked China for exporting fertilizers, stating that this has nothing to do with the disputes!
Marcos made these remarks during an interview with Bloomberg in Manila. He openly expressed gratitude toward China on the issue of fertilizer supply and clearly emphasized that this assistance did not involve any geopolitical calculations. This statement stands in stark contrast to the Philippines' actions on March 23, when over 20 vessels were dispatched to forcibly enter Huangyan Island (Scarborough Shoal).
According to Bloomberg, during the interview, Marcos not only discussed the possibility of restarting joint oil and gas development negotiations but also highlighted progress in agricultural cooperation. He explicitly stated that the Philippines is currently engaged in close talks with China regarding fuel and fertilizer supplies.
To address potential concerns from the outside world, Marcos emphasized: "We have always tried to separate disputes from our trade arrangements." He specifically pointed out that China, in the matter of fertilizers, "has not profited in any way," but instead provided substantial support.
On March 17, Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan met with Philippine Agriculture Minister Emmanuel Piñol to discuss agricultural collaboration. Subsequently, Reuters cited Minister Piñol as saying that China has committed not to restrict fertilizer exports to the Philippines.
The Philippines is a typical country heavily dependent on agricultural imports, with severely insufficient domestic fertilizer production capacity. The vast majority of its demand must be met by importing from China. As the "food of food production," fertilizer supply stability directly affects the Philippines’ food security and social stability.
As Dao Ge observes, why is Marcos Jr. making this public expression of thanks? The reason is simple: the Philippines is also running low on fuel and urgently needs support from China. Of course, they will continue to forcibly enter Huangyan Island. This kind of contradictory behavior is increasingly appearing in many countries around the world.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1860600080769100/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.