ELECTIONS 2022: US, China welcome Marcos presidency
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- 2022 Philippine Elections
The United States and China have welcomed the dictator’s son Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s presumptive presidential win in the ongoing Philippine elections.
In a statement on Thursday (May 12), the White House said that U.S. President Joe Biden congratulated Marcos in a phone call, noting that Biden looks forward to strengthening the alliance between the US and the Philippines.
Biden said he wants to expand bilateral cooperation on a wide range of issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, economic growth, and respect for human rights – an aspect widely violated during Ferdinand Marcos Sr’s rule.
The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has earlier welcomed Marcos’ presumed victory on Wednesday (May 11).
"Our special partnership is rooted in a long and deeply interwoven history, shared values and interests, and strong people-to-people ties," Blinken said.
Meanwhile, China’s ambassador to the Philippines, Huang Xilian, also sent a congratulatory message to Marcos Jr on behalf of Chinese President Xi Jinping saying that Beijing looks forward to cooperating with the next administration.
“With their vision for the Philippines and wisdom to navigate through different obstacles, I am confident that a Philippines under the next administration will surely demonstrate unprecedented unity to rise above all challenges, to recover from the pandemic and to prosper,” the ambassador noted.
The Philippines is currently on the front lines of US-China tensions, with the current President Rodrigo Duterte having strong ties with China.
In an earlier statement, Marcos said that he wants to pursue closer ties with China despite the territorial dispute between the two nations. Beijing has repeatedly refused to recognize the international ruling on its claims in the Philippine sea.
On the other hand, Marcos has not visited the US for 15 years, as the frontrunner is known to have a contempt-of-court order for his refusal to cooperate with the District Court of Hawaii whne it ordered his family to pay $2 billion of plundered wealth to victims of his father’s regime.
Pola Rubio is a news writer and photojournalist covering Philippine politics and events. She regularly follows worldwide and local happenings. She advocates for animal welfare and press freedom.
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