MARIING itinanggi ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. na nagpalit ng government policy ang administrasyon palayo sa China bunsod ng umiiral na tension sa West Philippine Sea kasabay ng pagsisikap ng gobyerno ng Pilipinas na palakasin ang political and military ties sa United States.
Sa ginanap na ikatlong taong paggagawad parangal ng Association for Philippines-China Understanding (APCU) at Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Philippines sa Manila Hotel ay inihayag ni Pangulong Marcos na hindi totoo ang mga umano’y pahayag na nag-iba na ng patakaran ang Pilipinas palayo sa China.
Ayon sa Pangulo, may differences o pagkakaiba sa paniniwala ang Pilipinas at China pero patuloy raw nilang pinagyayaman ang pagkakaibigan na nagsimula pa noong 1974.
“Though Manila’s relations with Beijing continue to evolve along with the changing times, it still “hasn’t changed in any fundamental sense,” ani Marcos Jr nang magsilbi itong panauhing pandangal sa Award for Promoting Philippines China Understanding (APPCU).
“We continue to foster the friendship, the relationship, the partnership that we have been developing with China since 1974 and 1975 when it became official,” dagdag pa ng pangulo.
It is something that like everybody else, with our neighbors and partners, it’s evolving, simply because the world around us is changing. But, it hasn’t changed in any fundamental sense. Some people have said that the Philippines has shifted its policy away from the People’s Republic of China to other powers. That is certainly not true. We have not shifted away from China in any way whatsoever.”
“So that’s how I describe it, it’s a continuing search to find a solution to the challenges that we face jointly with China.”
“Ito ay isang bagay na patuloy nating pagsusumikapan upang malutas at upang matiyak na ang kapayapaan at ang ligtas na paglalayag sa South China Sea, at West Philippine Sea ay matiyak,” aniya.
“At tinitingnan namin ang China bilang mga kapartner sa pagsisikap na mapanatili ang kapayapaan at panatilihing buhay at masigla ang kalakalan na lubhang napakahalaga sa bahaging ito ng mundo,” dagdag ni Marcos.
