MANILA, Philippines — US President Donald Trump said he would not mind if President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “gets along with China” if it would be an avenue to “make the Philippines great again.”
The American leader made the remark in his meeting with Marcos at the White House on Tuesday (local time), the first Southeast Asian leader who set foot in the Oval Office in his second term.
“Our foreign policy is an independent one and we are essentially concerned with the defense of our territory and the exercise of our sovereign rights,” Marcos said when asked how he plans on striking a diplomatic balance between China and the United States.
It was during the time of his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, when the Philippines made a “friendly” tilt to China amid the territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea while blasting the US for its supposed interference in the country’s internal affairs.
When Marcos took office in 2022, the Philippine government seemed to have pivoted back to Washington D.C. which has since been vocal about its “ironclad” commitment to defending the Philippines should tensions in the disputed waterway further escalate.
Marcos has repeatedly said that while he would ensure “not even an inch” of Philippine territory would be surrendered to any foreign entity, the territorial dispute was a separate issue when it came to other areas of cooperation with China.
“We do this not alone. We need to do this with our partner. And again, our strongest partner has always been the United States. But of course, we are trying to form coalitions and multilateral relations,” he stated.
Trump interjected by saying he didn’t mind if Marcos “gets along with China”.
“Because I get along with China very well,” the American leader said. “I don’t mind if the President dealt with China. I think he has to do what’s right for his country.”
“I’ve always said ‘make the Philippines great again’. Do whatever you need to do. You’re dealing with China would not bother me at all,” he added.
