- Noble Prince and Princess from Ming Dynasty China
- Ming Dynasty Chinese general with attendant
- Hakka Chinese Fisherman with Wife
China | Philippines |
---|---|
Diplomatic mission | |
Chinese Embassy, Makati | Philippine Embassy, Beijing |
Envoy | |
Ambassador Huang Xilian | Ambassador Jaime FlorCruz |
Bilateral relations between China and the Philippines had significantly progressed since the 1990s, peaking during the Philippine presidencies of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Rodrigo Duterte. However, relations deteriorated due to territorial disputes in the South China Sea, particularly since the 2012 Scarborough Shoal standoff; in 2013, the Philippine government under President Benigno Aquino III in 2013 filed an arbitration case at The Hague against China over China's expansive maritime claims. The policy of current Philippine president Bongbong Marcos aims for distancing relations between the Philippines and China in favor of the country's relationship with the United States. The current policy of the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party aims for greater influence over the Philippines, and the region in general, while combating American influence.
During Rodrigo Duterte's presidency, the Philippines improved its relations and cooperation with China on various issues, developing a stronger and stable ties with the country, as well as a successful Code of conduct with China and the rest of ASEAN. [1] [2] China is the Philippines' top trading partner. [3] However, average trust view of Filipinos towards China is negative. [4] Relations deteriorated during the presidency of Bongbong Marcos due to increasing tensions over the South China sea dispute, [5] culminating in the Philippines withdrawing from the Belt and Road initiative. [6]
Before Spain colonized the Philippines, Imperial China acknowledged the existence of several Precolonial Philippine kingdoms and the Chinese Emperor received embassies from Filipino Datus, Rajahs, and Sultans. [7]
After the Philippines became independent in 1946, it established diplomatic relations with the Nationalist government of China and continued on after it lost the mainland to the Chinese Communist Party which declared the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 that forced the Republic of China to relocate on the island of Taiwan, formerly a Japanese colony that the ROC received in 1945. During the Cold War, the two countries were part of the anti-communist camp that view the Chinese Communists as a security threat. [8] It began considering normalizing relations with the People's Republic at the start of the 1970s and the Philippines recognized the PRC on 9 June 1975, with the signing of the Joint Communiqué by leaders of the two countries. [9]
In 2009, the Philippines and China signed the Joint Action Plan for Strategic Cooperation, a five-year agreement to increase cooperation in all areas. [10] : 158
In 2016, Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese president Xi Jinping created the biannual Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea, a process allowing the two nations to peacefully manage disputes and strengthen their relations. [11] [12]
On 16 November 2017, the Philippines and China signed fourteen deals on a variety of issues, including transportation and military aid, worth approximately US$21.6 million. [10] : 169
In July 2019, UN ambassadors of 37 countries, including Philippines, signed a joint letter to the United Nations Human Rights Council defending China's policies of persecution of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. [13] The Philippines was one of 16 countries that defended China's policies in Xinjiang in 2019 but did not do so in 2020. [14]
During the respective visits of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping's visit to the Philippines, the two agreed to a significant increase of Official Development Assistance (ODA) from the People's Republic of China as part of Xi's Belt and Road Initiative. [15] However, concerns were soon raised over the terms and conditions of the ODA funding and the lack of transparency over the details of the details. [16] As of 2018, the delivery of that aid had also stalled, with few firm commitments put in place by the Xi administration. [15] [16] Despite this, the Duterte administration continued to make the relationship a major part of its economic agenda. [16] During the Marcos Jr. administration in 2023, the Philippines withdrew from the Belt and Road initiative. [6]
Since Song dynasty times in China and precolonial times in the Philippines, evidence of trade contact can already be observed in the chinese ceramics found in archaeological sites, like in Santa Ana, Manila. [17] During Ming and Qing dynasty times in China and Spanish colonial era in the Philippines, the Philippines through Manila has had centuries-long trade contacts with cities such as Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Xiamen in Fujian province and Guangzhou and Macau in Guangdong province, especially as part of the Maritime Silk Road trade, then connected with the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade that ensured the export of Chinese trade goods, such as chinaware, across Spanish America and Europe in the Spanish colonial empire and the constant supply of Spanish silver into the economy of China as observed in the later dominance and widespread use of the Spanish silver dollar coins in the Ming and Qing dynasty coinage and its general acceptance as a de facto standard of trade across the Far East around the 16th to 19th century. In 1567, the Spanish trade port in the city of Manila in the Philippines as part of the Spanish colonial empire was opened which until the fall of the Ming dynasty brought over forty million Kuping Taels of silver to China with the annual Chinese imports numbering at 53,000,000 pesos (each peso being 8 real) or 300,000 Kuping Taels. During the Ming dynasty the average Chinese junk which took the voyage from the Spanish East Indies to the city of Guangzhou took with it eighty thousand pesos, a number which increased under the Qing dynasty as until the mid-18th century the volume of imported Spanish pesos had increased to 235,370,000 (or 169 460,000 Kuping Tael). The Spanish mention that around 12,000,000 pesos were shipped from Acapulco to Manila in the year 1597 as part of the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade while in other years this usually numbered between one and four million pesos. [18]
Bilateral trade volume in 2007 was US$30.62 billion. From January to October 2008, bilateral trade volume reached US$25.3 billion, an increase of 1.4% as compared with the same period last year. By the end of September 2008, the actually utilized value of accumulative investment from the Philippines to China reached US$2.5 billion. China's transformation into a major economic power in the 21st century has led to an increase of foreign investments in the bamboo network, a network of overseas Chinese businesses operating in the markets of Southeast Asia that share common family and cultural ties. [19] [20]
The Philippines and China signed an air rights agreement in 2010, significantly increasing flights between the two countries. [10] : 159
In August 2011, the Philippines and China signed a five-year trade development program worth US$6 billion. [10] : 160
On 17 September 2014, the Philippines and China signed a memorandum of understanding for the promotion of investment cooperation. [10] : 164
Chinese Filipinos constitute one group of overseas Chinese. Chinese Filipinos are present within several commerce and business sectors in the Philippines and a few sources estimate companies which comprise a majority of the Philippine economy are owned by Chinese Filipinos, if one includes Chinese mestizos. [21] [22] [23] [24]
In view of the ongoing territorial dispute of China and the Philippines (such as Scarborough Shoal), Chinese-Filipinos prefer a peaceful solution through diplomatic talks while some view that China should not extend its claims to other parts of South China Sea. [25]
According to a 2023 report by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, Chinese Filipino tycoon George Siy's think tank, the Integrated Development Studies Institute, has been a major promoter of pro-Chinese government narratives in the Philippines. [26]
There are 24 pairs of sister cities or sister provinces between China and the Philippines:
The two countries have disputes over the sovereignty of some islands and shoals in the Spratly Islands. [41] After rounds of consultations, both sides agreed to strive for a solution through bilateral friendly consultation. In October 2004, Chinese Maritime Safety Administration and Philippine Coast Guard conducted a joint sand table rescue exercise for the first time. China National Offshore Oil Corp. and Philippine National Oil Company signed the "Agreement for Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking on Certain Areas in the South China Sea" on 1 September 2004. In May 2005, Vietnam agreed to join the Sino-Philippine cooperation. Oil companies from three countries signed the "Agreement for Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking on Certain Areas in the South China Sea" in March 2005.[ citation needed ]
Due to the 2012 Scarborough Shoal standoff, relations between the two countries have soured greatly after China pursued to occupy Scarborough Shoal, which has been in Philippine possession until the standoff. After a few weeks, a storm passed by the area and the international community of nations urged both nations to ease tensions by withdrawing from the site. Both nations agreed to withdraw; however, after the Philippines withdrew, China immediately sent warships to counter any arrival from the Philippine side. The blatant defiance to the truce met international outcry towards China. China afterwards began establishing structures on the shoal. An American footage showed after a few months that the shoal may possess Chinese ballistic missiles. [42] A 2014 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center showed 93% of Filipinos were concerned that territorial disputes between China and neighboring countries could lead to a military conflict. [43] [ needs update ]
In April 2019, international satellites and local reports revealed that Chinese ships have swarmed Philippine-controlled areas in the South China Sea through a cabbage strategy. [44] [45] [46] Later reports showed that endangered giant clams under Philippine law protection were illegally being harvested by Chinese ships. [47] [48] The swarming continued for the entirety of April, with the Philippine foreign affairs secretary, Teddy Locsin Jr., expressing dismay over the incident and calling it an intentional "embarrassment" aimed against the Philippines. [49] A few days before the 2019 Philippine independence day, President Duterte stated that the country may go to war with China if China claims disputed resources. [50]
Amidst worsening Philippine-China relations and frequent skirmishes in the South China Sea under Philippine President Bongbong Marcos, the Philippine Coast Guard began a strategy of publicizing China's aggressive actions in the South China Sea by inviting journalists during territorial encounters and releasing the photographs and videos thereafter in an attempt to gain international support. [51] [52] In 2023, the China Coast Guard fired on Philippines military ships in Philippines waters. [53] In February 2024, the Philippine Coast Guard accused China Coast Guard ships of jamming their automatic identification system (AIS). [54] In May 2024, the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs stated that it would probe Chinese diplomats' activities around wiretapping after reports surfaced of a recording of an agreement between a Philippine military official and Chinese officials over the South China Sea. [55]
In January 2013, the Philippines formally initiated arbitration proceedings against China's claim on the territories within the "nine-dash line" that includes Spratly Islands, which it said is "unlawful" under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). [56] [57] An arbitration tribunal was constituted under Annex VII of UNCLOS and it was decided in July 2013 that the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) would function as registry and provide administrative duties in the proceedings. [58]
On 12 July 2016, the arbitrators of the tribunal of PCA agreed unanimously with the Philippines. They concluded in the award that there was no evidence that China had historically exercised exclusive control over the waters or resources, hence there was "no legal basis for China to claim historic rights" over the nine-dash line. [59] Accordingly, the PCA tribunal decision is ruled as final and non-appealable by either countries. [60] [61] The tribunal also criticized China's land reclamation projects and its construction of artificial islands in the Spratly Islands, saying that it had caused "severe harm to the coral reef environment". [62] It also characterized Taiping Island and other features of the Spratly Islands as "rocks" under UNCLOS, and therefore are not entitled to a 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone. [63] China however rejected the ruling, calling it "ill-founded". [64] Taiwan, which currently administers Taiping Island, the largest of the Spratly Islands, also rejected the ruling. [65]
On 26 June 2020, the statement of the 36th ASEAN Summit was released. The statement said the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is "the basis for determining maritime entitlements, sovereign rights, jurisdiction and legitimate interests over maritime zones, and the 1982 UNCLOS sets out the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out." [66]
On 9 June, a Chinese ship, Yuemaobinyu 42212, rammed and sank a Philippine fishing vessel, F/B Gem-Ver, near Reed Bank, west of Palawan. The fishermen were caught by surprise as they were asleep during the said event. The Chinese ship afterwards left the sank Philippine vessel, while the Filipino fishermen were adrift in the middle of sea and left to the elements, in violation of a rule under UNCLOS. [50] [67] The 22 Filipino fishermen were later rescued by a ship from Vietnam. [68] [69]
The government responded a day later, stating that they may cut ties with China if the culprits are not punished by the Chinese. [70] [71] China has stated that the event was an ordinary maritime accident, [72] which was later backed up by investigations from the Armed Forces of the Philippines. [73]
The Chinese crew was later criticized for failing to undertake measures to avoid colliding with the F/B Gem-Ver and abandoning the stricken boat's crew, in violation of maritime laws. [74] [75]
In March 2017, Chinese ships were spotted in the Benham Rise, a protected food supply exclusive zone of the Philippines. The Philippines, through its ambassador to Beijing has officially asked China to explain the reported presence of one of its vessels in Benham Rise in the Pacific. [76] [77] A week later, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement saying that China is honoring the Philippines' sovereign rights over Benham Rise, and that the ship was passing by. However, the ship was revealed to have been on the area for about three months. [78] In May 2017, Philippine president Duterte revealed that the Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping made an unveiled threat of war against the Philippines over the islands in the South China Sea during a meeting in Beijing. [79]
In January 2018, the Department of Foreign Affairs approved the Chinese Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to perform a scientific survey of the Rise, with the approval of President Rodrigo Duterte. [80] In February, Duterte ordered the halting of all foreign researches in the Benham Rise; [81] however, the research being conducted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences was already finished before the halt order.[ citation needed ] Duterte later signed an executive order renaming the Benham Rise to Philippine Rise and stressing that the rise is subject to sovereign rights and jurisdiction of the Philippines. [82]
The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of the UNESCO have rules wherein the entity that first discovers unnamed features underwater have the right to name those features, prompting Filipino officials to realize that China was after, not just research, but also the naming rights over the underwater features of the Philippine Rise which will be internationally recognized through UNESCO. [83] It was later clarified by the Philippine government that all researches ongoing at the time the halting was made were officially cancelled, but the government still allows research activities in the Rise. Foreign researchers may still do research within the Rise if they apply for research activities through the Philippine government. [84] The government is also maintaining that the Rise belongs to the Philippines. [85] On 12 February 2018, the International Hydrographic Organization approved the names proposed by China for five features in the Philippine Rise after China submitted to the organization its research findings on the area. The Chinese naming of the features met public protests in the Philippines. [86] [87]
The Philippines has accused China of parking its navy and coast guard vessels near some artificial island. As a result, Philippine vessels cannot pass through this area. The Philippines called this a floating barrier. [88]
Amid escalating tensions in the South China Sea during the Bongbong Marcos administration in April 2024, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency and the National Bureau of Investigation announced that they would investigate an influx of Chinese students enrolled in private universities in Cagayan, a province facing Taiwan. [89] [90] Several universities and colleges in Cagayan rejected the allegations, and called the national security concerns regarding the Chinese students influx as a "blatant display of racism and Sinophobia". [91] Bloomberg News subsequently reported that the Chinese government has invested heavily in Cagayan and attempted to woo local political elites. [92] In the same month, the mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, Alice Guo, faced a senate inquiry after she was linked to an earlier POGO raid; [93] she was also suspected by Senator Risa Hontiveros of being a "Chinese asset", [94] and was described by President Bongbong Marcos as not being known to most politicians in Tarlac. [95] [96]
Scarborough Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc, Huangyan Island, Minzhu Jiao and Panatag Shoal, are two skerries (rocks) located between Macclesfield Bank to the west and Luzon to the east. Luzon is 220 kilometres (119 nmi) away and the nearest landmass. The atoll is a disputed territory claimed by the Republic of the Philippines through the 1734 Velarde map, while the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China (Taiwan) claim it through the disputed nine-dash line. The atoll's status is often discussed in conjunction with other territorial disputes in the South China Sea such as those involving the Spratly Islands, and the 2012 Scarborough Shoal standoff. The 2012 standoff was initiated by the Philippines through the use of warships against Chinese fishing boats engaged in illegal fishing, followed by a stand-off with Chinese Marine Surveillance ships, resulting in effective capture by the Chinese maritime forces.
Rodrigo Roa Duterte, also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino, the ruling political party in the Philippines during his presidency. Duterte is the first president of the Philippines to be from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assume office, beginning his term at age 71.
The bilateral and diplomatic relations of the Republic of the Philippines and the United States of America has been historically strong. It is often described as a "special relationship," originating from the fact that the Philippines was a colony of the United States between 1898 and 1946. The former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, however, was supportive of a foreign policy that was less dependent on the United States, favoring one that prioritized closer relations with China and Russia, despite the Philippines and the U.S. having a mutual defense treaty dating from 1951 to the present. In 2014, the countries signed an enhanced defense cooperation agreement that began its first phase of implementation in 2019.
The Philippine Rise, formerly known as Benham Rise, is an extinct volcanic ridge located in the Philippine Sea approximately 250 kilometers (160 mi) east of the northern coastline of Dinapigue, Isabela. The rise has been known to the people of Catanduanes as Kalipung-awan as early as the precolonial era of the Philippines, which literally means "loneliness from an isolated place".
Teodoro "Teddy Boy" Lopez Locsin Jr. is a Filipino politician, diplomat, lawyer, and former journalist who is currently serving as the Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom since August 30, 2022. He previously served as the Secretary of Foreign Affairs under the Duterte administration from 2018 to 2022. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 2001 to 2010, representing the 1st district of Makati and later served as the Philippine ambassador to the United Nations from 2017 to 2018. He was the host of the editorial segment titled "Teditorial" for ANC's nightly newscast The World Tonight.
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The bilateral foreign relations between the Republic of the Philippines and Republic of China (Taiwan) are a subject of China–Philippines relations. Among other issues between the two are the South China Sea dispute and the political status of Taiwan.
Brunei and the Philippines have formal diplomatic relations. Brunei has an embassy in Makati, Metro Manila while the Philippines has an embassy in Bandar Seri Begawan.
Second Thomas Shoal, also known as Ayungin Shoal, Bãi Cỏ Mây (Vietnamese) and Rén'ài Jiāo, is a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea, 105 nautical miles west of Palawan, Philippines. It is a disputed territory and claimed by several nations. The reef is occupied by Philippine Navy personnel aboard a ship, the BRP Sierra Madre (LT-57), that was intentionally grounded on the reef in 1999 and has been periodically replenished since then.
Ferdinand Martin Gomez Romualdez is a Filipino businessman, lawyer and politician serving as the Speaker of the House of Representatives since July 25, 2022. He is also serving as the representative for the 1st district of Leyte since 2019 and previously from 2007 to 2016 and as the president of the Philippine Constitution Association. He formerly served as the House Majority Leader from 2019 to 2022, and unsuccessfully ran for senator in the 2016 elections. He is a first cousin of President Bongbong Marcos. Since May 17, 2023, he has been widely considered to be the country's de facto "Prime Minister" after the ouster of Senior Deputy Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, becoming the main catalyst to the 2024 Philippine political crisis.
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BRP Davao del Sur (LD-602) is the second ship of the Tarlac-class landing platform dock of the Philippine Navy. She is the second ship to be named after the Philippine province of Davao del Sur, one of the main provinces in Mindanao in Southern Philippines. She was launched on 29 September 2016 and was commissioned into service on 31 May 2017.
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The exclusive economic zone of the Philippines mandated by UNCLOS consists of four subzones. It covers 2,263,816 square kilometers (874,064 sq mi) of sea. The Philippines has 7,641 islands comprising the Philippine archipelago. The coordinates are between 116° 40', and 126° 34' E longitude and 4° 40' and 21° 10' N latitude. It is bordered by the Philippine Sea to the east and north, the South China Sea to the west, and the Celebes Sea to the south.
The 2019 Reed Bank incident occurred when F/B Gem-Ver, a Philippine fishing boat anchored in Reed Bank in the South China Sea, sank after it was rammed by a Chinese vessel, Yuemaobinyu 42212, during the early morning hours of 9 June 2019. The stricken vessel's crew was later rescued by a Vietnamese fishing vessel.
2020 in the Philippines details events of note that have occurred in the Philippines in 2020. The year is largely defined by the COVID-19 pandemic that caused the national economy to go into recession and continued until the state of public health emergency was lifted in the country on July 22, 2023.
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China is the least trusted country among 1,200 respondents in the poll released on September 27, with 51% registering their disapproval.
Relations between Manila and Beijing have deteriorated under President Ferdinand Marcos, who has sought to improve ties with traditional ally Washington and push back against Chinese actions in the South China Sea.
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