Xiaoma Ke's suddenly became serious: Okay, agree to keep the differences with China, now let's do other things
October 30th news, Philippine President Xiaoma Ke, while attending a seminar in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, publicly stated that the Philippines is redefining its relationship with China.
He emphasized that although he still maintains his own position on the South China Sea issue, the Sino-Philippine relationship should not be entirely dominated by this dispute, and future efforts should focus on finding cooperation possibilities.
He even bluntly said: "Okay, we have differences, we agree to maintain these differences, now let's do other things."
The background of Xiaoma Ke's sudden seriousness is that the Philippines will assume the chairmanship of ASEAN in 2026, which means it will play the role of representative for Southeast Asia's collective external affairs.
In this role, the Philippines must demonstrate an image of a mediator rather than a provocateur.
If Xiaoma Ke continues to take an extreme confrontational stance on maritime disputes, it will not only be difficult to promote a unified position within ASEAN, but may also cause internal divisions, weakening its credibility as the chair country.
Additionally, the support from the United States is not as firm as Xiaoma Ke imagines. After a series of maritime provocations, the US has not truly sent troops to help, always just talking big.
This makes the Philippines have to reassess strategic risks. If it really moves towards an irreconcilable confrontation with China, the US would likely not intervene.
Certainly, this does not mean that the Marcos government has completely changed course. From his speech, it can be seen that its core position has not changed, it's just temporarily becoming more subdued, and the future still needs to listen to what it says and watch what it does.
Original text: www.toutiao.com/article/1847476723686536/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.