Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 3) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he is as “concerned as you could possibly be” about China’s actions in the West Philippine Sea, a part of the South China Sea that Manila and Beijing claim.
Marcos was on his way to have brunch with United States Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff in Washington D.C. when a reporter asked him how concerned he was about China’s “continued provocation in the South China Sea.“As concerned as you could possibly be,” he said. “It is one of the major issues that we have to face back home.”When asked if he believes his cooperation with Harris and US President Joe Biden will bring him “closer to protecting the region,” Marcos said the partnership with the US is “just something we have been building upon that has been going on for many, many, many decades.Beijing’s aggressive tactics against Manila continued in disputed waters last week after the Philippine Coast Guard confirmed reports of a near-collision between a large Chinese Coast Guard ship and a Philippine patrol vessel at the Ayungin Shoal.
READ: PCG reports near-collision due to Chinese ship’s ‘dangerous’ maneuvers in Ayungin Shoal
On Tuesday evening (morning in Washington D.C.), Harris welcomed Marcos and his wife Liza Araneta-Marcos to her official residence at the Number One Observatory Circle in the US Naval Observatory.’ ‘7’: ‘contentWidth’: ‘fit-content’ ’embedCode’: ‘
LOOK: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos meet Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff in Washington, D.C.
📸 PCO pic.twitter.com/u9nRdnV50R
— CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) May 2, 2023
