Marcos eyes Xi visit as Philippines prepares to lead ASEAN

Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said he plans to invite Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Manila for talks aimed at easing tensions in the South China Sea, as the Philippines gears up to head the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next year.

Hosting the 11-member bloc gives Manila a rare chance to shape regional priorities, which Mr. Marcos said presents “opportunities” for the Philippines to push for a legally binding code of conduct (CoC) in the disputed waters. Five ASEAN members have overlapping maritime claims with China.

“I would certainly invite him… to show how sincere we are to President Xi Jinping,” Mr. Marcos told reporters after the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. “We would like for him to come to the Philippines.”

Mr. Xi did not attend this year’s summit, sending Premier Li Qiang instead. He last joined ASEAN leaders virtually in 2021 to mark the 30th anniversary of the China-ASEAN dialogue partnership.

Manila and Beijing remain locked in a tense standoff over the resource-rich South China Sea despite a 2016 United Nations-backed ruling that voided China’s sweeping claims.

The Philippines formally took over the ASEAN chairmanship from Malaysia on Tuesday. “I look forward to the opportunities and the things that we will be able to do as chair of ASEAN,” Mr. Marcos said, adding that preparations for the country’s hosting began eight months ago.

He said the Philippines would use its leadership role to highlight maritime issues, even if other member states do not share the same priorities.

“We cannot give up,” he said. “If we get to that point where President Xi will actually consider coming to the Philippines, it would mean that we have made significant progress.” — Chloe Mari A. Hufana