MANILA, Philippines — United States President Donald Trump said at a meeting with President Marcos that he is “getting along with China well” and would “not mind” seeing the Philippine leader cozy up to Beijing as part of his professed independent foreign policy.
Trump said he supports President Marcos’ independent foreign policy, particularly in building partnerships beyond traditional allies and “does not mind if he gets along with China.”
Trump made the remarks at a joint press conference with Marcos at the White House on Tuesday, in response to a journalist’s question on how the Philippine leader should balance relations with the US and China.
“I don’t mind if he gets along with China, because we’re getting along with China very well,” Trump said, noting that Chinese President Xi Jinping has invited him to China.
The Philippines has long-standing maritime dispute with China, while the US sees Beijing’s vow to retake Taiwan and military expansion in the South China Sea as a threat to stability and global trade.
“President Xi has invited me to China, and we’ll probably be doing that in the not too distant future,” he said.
Trump said the US supports Marcos’ freedom to act in the best interest of his country.
“I think he (Marcos) has to do what’s right for his country. I’ve always said, you know, make the Philippines great again. Do whatever you need to do,” he added.
Trump added that the Philippines “had some problems with another president, and it was not your fault,” noting the country has “tilted” toward China “for a period of time.”
“It was the President’s fault, and the country was maybe tilting toward China, but we untilted it very, very quickly,” he said, apparently referring to previous Duterte administration’s pivot to China.
“You had a country that was tilting toward China for a period of time, and I just don’t think that would have been good for you. You could deal with China. You should deal with China, but, but when I got elected, everything changed, and they came right back to us,” Trump said.
Relations between the Philippines and the US soured during the term former president Rodrigo Duterte, who had openly shown bias for Beijing during his term
Marcos, the first head of state from Southeast Asia to meet Trump in his second term, underscored the Philippine’s commitment to national sovereignty and international cooperation.
“There is no need to balance our relationship between the United States and China. Our foreign policy is an independent one,” Marcos said.
While the US remains the Philippines’ “strongest partner,” it is also important to build multilateral relations with other nations that respect international law and shared democratic values, particularly in upholding the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, he said.
Trump said he was honored to receive Marcos who is from “a great family, great family legacy, and highly respected” in his country.
He said the US has “fantastic” military relationships with the Philippines. Marcos said the Philippines regards the US as “our strongest, closest, most reliable ally.”
“That is something that we value, that we are grateful for, and that we will continue to foster,” Marcos said.
Marcos stayed in the historic Blair House, the US President’s Guest House for select visiting heads of state and top dignitaries.
At a briefing, Marcos defended the planned establishment of an ammunition hub in Subic and the hosting of US missiles in the Philippines, calling the plan “necessary” and part of the continuing modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
“The reason that we have all, we have encouraged more interaction with the United States is because it is, again, it is necessary, and it is not just with the United States,” the President said, noting that Manila has also bolstered its alliances with neighboring countries as well as with European Union member-states.
Trump, for his part, underscored that the proposed facility is “very important.”
“Otherwise, we wouldn’t approve it,” the US leader said.
Trump also cited the US assistance to the Philippines during his first term as president in fighting terror groups, including ISIS.
“And during my administration, we went in and we wiped them out, working with the Philippines, but we wiped them out,” Trump said.
Marcos, meanwhile, dismissed concerns that putting such manufacturing facility and the hosting of missiles, would make the Philippines a target of China.
“Are we not already a target for China? So, I think that what we have to be thinking about is protecting the Philippines,”, Marcos said.