Even in his not-so-smooth manner, PBBM (President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.) drove home the point. Chinese Maj. Gen. Xu Hui told PBBM, as if lecturing him, to focus on the ASEAN principles of “mutual respect and consensus building” — such eloquent ideal goals for China and the Philippines to pursue together. PBBM had a simple direct reply to Gen. Xu. He said that the conflict in the South China Sea (SCS) was no longer an ASEAN issue but a global one. Gen. Xu’s intent was to exclude the US from Asian affairs, which PBBM dismissed with his reply

Lopez, B. V. (2024, June 11). PBBM’s counterpunch vs Gen. Xu. Daily Tribune, p. A5.