The Philippine presidential palace has proactively sent positive signals toward China. According to a report by the Philippine Business News, Claire Gaspar, the Palace’s spokesperson for communications, stated that President Marcos hopes government agencies and officials will exercise diplomatic restraint when making statements concerning China. The presidential office supports the Department of Foreign Affairs’ call for Filipino officials to proceed with caution in public remarks about China, emphasizing that President Marcos expects officials to consider the potential diplomatic repercussions of their words.
This latest statement from the Philippine presidential office, viewed against recent developments in Sino-Philippine relations, conveys a clear signal: the Marcos administration is deliberately reining in its foreign policy toward China, seeking to bring an increasingly uncontrolled approach back into a manageable framework. On November 8, the Department of Foreign Affairs issued a rare rebuke to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, warning that “individual officials” must not unilaterally determine the direction of foreign relations, and stressing that personal positions on China must not override the government’s overall policy. It underscored that the roles of military and intelligence institutions are to provide assessments—not to lead diplomacy.
Major local media outlet Manila Times went further, directly calling on President Marcos to replace Lorenzana, describing him as a “significant burden” on the current administration. Why is Marcos pulling back now? The Philippines’ projected economic growth for 2025 falls short of 5%, below the official target. China remains one of the country’s most important trading partners and sources of investment. The decision to implement visa-free access for Chinese nationals starting January 2026 reflects economic necessity. Twenty-three major business groups jointly urged the government to “cease hostility toward China,” advocating a more measured diplomatic approach to safeguard national interests.
Additionally, President Marcos is scheduled to attend the APEC summit in Shenzhen. With two high-profile multilateral events approaching, he needs to cultivate a stable and predictable diplomatic environment—one that prevents figures like Lorenzana from further disrupting the political landscape. Tensions between Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte continue to escalate. Marcos previously attempted to link Duterte to “Chinese funding,” a move she denounced as “reckless and dangerous provocation toward China.” Meanwhile, Lorenzana’s hardline anti-China rhetoric appears to serve strategic purposes ahead of the 2028 general election. Marcos’s current move to rein in such voices thus serves dual aims: addressing concerns from Beijing and curbing domestic hawkish factions from overshadowing the executive’s agenda.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1881550168077387/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.