President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has called China the country’s “strongest partner” in its efforts to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic despite Beijing’s continued intrusion into Philippine waters which Manila has repeatedly protested against. Speaking before members and guests of the Association for Philippines-China Understanding (Apcu) on Friday, Marcos said the Philippines’ “partnerships and alliances” with other countries, including China, would “keep the stability of our economic recovery” from the pandemic. “We can only do it with our partners—and our strongest partner has always been, in that regard, our close neighbor and our good friend, the People’s Republic of China,” he said.

Corrales, N., De Villa, K., & Cabalza, D. (2022, June 12). Marcos: China 'strongest partner' in PH recovery. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A2.