Marcos to invite Xi in ASEAN, seeks to redefine ties with Beijing

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he plans to invite Chinese President Xi Jinping to Manila during the Philippines’ chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2026, expressing hope that both sides can “redefine” ties beyond maritime disputes.

Speaking to reporters after the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Marcos said he remains optimistic about improving relations with Beijing despite renewed tensions over the South China Sea, particularly China’s recent declaration of a “national nature reserve” over Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal - a move he earlier condemned as a violation of Philippine sovereignty.

“I just laid out the facts,” Marcos said when asked about his remarks in front of Chinese Premier Li Qiang during the ASEAN-China Summit.

“I always try to just explain to everyone what is happening and that this is the situation the Philippines finds itself in. Ito ‘yung nangyayari sa amin. Kaya sana matulungan ninyo kami,” he said.

[Translation: This is what’s happening to us. I hope you help us.]

He said Li maintained that China’s actions were “within their local law and international law,” which Manila disputes. “That’s essentially how that diplomatic process works,” Marcos added.

Despite the disagreement, the president said he is seeking to move relations with China beyond the long-standing territorial conflict.

“I continue to find ways to redefine our relationship with China,” he said. “When you talk about China and the Philippines, all you talk about are the territorial disputes. I think there is a huge possibility for trade, for exchanges, for all kinds of discussions and engagements between China and I that do not include these territorial disputes.”

Marcos said he “fully agrees” with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s statement that ASEAN should take the lead in resolving issues in the region, including the South China Sea.

“The lead agency should be ASEAN,” Marcos said.

The Philippines will assume ASEAN’s rotating chairmanship in 2026, during which Manila hopes to finalize negotiations for a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea. Marcos said he remains optimistic that ASEAN and China can meet that target.

“At heart, I’m an optimist,” he said. “We cannot give up. We cannot say that there’s no hope, that we cannot move forward or resolve this thing. Once we’ve done that, we failed. And we cannot fail because we have to find a better way of dealing with these things.”

When asked if he would invite Xi to Manila should a COC be concluded by 2026, Marcos replied without hesitation.

“Yes. I will certainly invite him,” he said. “I would make all of the efforts available to show President Xi Jinping how sincere we are that we would like for him to come to the Philippines.”

He said Xi’s visit would signal “significant progress” in bilateral relations. “If we get to that point where President Xi will actually consider coming to the Philippines, it would mean that we have made serious progress. And that would be a great thing.”

During the ASEAN-China Summit earlier this week, Marcos denounced China’s “unilateral declarations of marine protection zones” in the West Philippine Sea, calling the nature reserve claim over Bajo de Masinloc “baseless” and “a blatant disregard of international law.”

“It is regrettable that incidents in the South China Sea persist,” he said during the summit. “Cooperation cannot exist alongside coercion.”