China courts the Philippines and Thailand

Politics & Current Affairs

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has left on a few high notes from his visits to Thailand and the Philippines, as he seeks out stronger ties on his five-nation tour in Southeast Asia.

Illustration by Derek Zheng

Chinese Foreign Minister Wรกng Yรฌ ็Ž‹ๆฏ… has been courting Southeast Asian nations this past week, as part of a five-nation tour to promote Chinaโ€™s alternative to the U.S.โ€™s Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPEF). Wang will end his 11-day trip in Malaysia and Indonesia for the G-20 Foreign Ministersโ€™ Meeting in Bali.

A โ€œnew golden eraโ€ in relations with the Philippines?

Donning a Filipino formal shirt known as a barong, Wang Yi met his Philippines counterpart and the newly elected president Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the presidential palace in Manila on Wednesday. Marcos is expected to lean โ€œmore favorab[ly] to China than the United States,โ€ though has been clear that closer ties with Beijing โ€œwill not be at the expense of sovereignty.โ€

  • Both sides agreed to boost bilateral cooperation and discuss issues in the South China Sea: Marcos said he is open to military exchanges with China, while Wang Yi heralded a โ€œnew golden eraโ€ of ties with the Philippines, which “turned a new page” with the election of the new president.
  • โ€œSecretary Manalo highlighted the fact that Wang Yi is the first foreign minister received by the new Philippine government,โ€ Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying ๅŽๆ˜ฅ่Žน wrote on Twitter.

The more positive tone comes amid heightened tensions between the two nations over long-standing disputes in the South China Sea. Manila has had difficulty standing up to repeated incursions of Chinese vessels into contested waters, a stance that the U.S. has backed. The Philippine government has nonetheless managed to maintain smooth relations with its largest trading partner.

  • Philippine exports to China amounted to $971.74 million, or 15.9% of total exports, in April. The U.S. came close behind at $955.17 million (15.6%), then Japan at $820.96 million (13.4%), Hong Kong at $740.58 million (12.1%), and Singapore at $419.82 million (6.9%).
  • Manila abandoned joint energy exploration talks with China in June, citing โ€œconstitutional constraints and issues of sovereignty.โ€
  • The Philippines has also recently lodged more protests with China for unilaterally declaring a ban on fishing in the South China Sea, and also complained of harassment and other violations of its jurisdiction by Beijing’s coast guard.

A high-speed rail system with Thailand

Meanwhile, Thailand renewed its commitment to complete its section of a high-speed rail system that connects the country to China through Laos by 2028, following a meeting between Wang Yi and Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha on Tuesday.

The long-delayed 434 billion baht ($12 billion) project, which was first proposed in 2014 under Chinaโ€™s Belt and Road Initiative, is now set to finish by 2026. Thailandโ€™s stretch will link 609 kilometers (378 miles) and bridge the Mekong River to connect with the China-Laos line, which was completed in December.

  • The Laos and Thailand segments are expected by many to be the start of powerful infrastructure linkages that connect the worldโ€™s second-largest economy with much of Southeast Asia.
  • Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhร o Lรฌjiฤn ่ตต็ซ‹ๅš commented on Twitter โ€œChina-Laos-Thailand railway is interconnected now!โ€

Over the weekend, Wang Yi made his first stop in Myanmar for the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) group meeting, Beijingโ€™s highest-level visit to the nation since the military junta overthrew the democratically elected government of Aung San Su Kyi last year.

Nadya Yeh