Marcos to seek Australia’s support vs China as he faces its parliament
PHILIPPINE President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. will seek the support of Australia amid Chinese aggression at sea, the Foreign Affairs department said on Tuesday.
Mr. Marcos is expected to speak before the Australian Parliament during his state visit to Australia on Feb. 28, Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ma. Teresita C. Daza told a palace news briefing. “It will be the first time a Philippine President will be speaking before the Parliament of Australia.”
His engagement with the Parliament would “help us underscore both countries as maritime nations have actually committed to adherence to the rules-based order and international law,” she said.
World leaders who had spoken before the Australian Parliament include former US presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, Hu Jintao of the People’s Republic of China, ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The Philippines and Australia in September agreed to enhance their partnerships by elevating their relations from a comprehensive into a strategic one.
Mr. Marcos, who has been visiting Philippine allies since becoming President in 2022, will return to Australia on March 4 to 6 for a dialogue summit between Canberra and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Daniel R. Espiritu said at the same briefing.
The summit in Australia, ASEAN’s oldest dialogue partner and one of the “most active” in economic and political fronts, is an opportunity for the Philippines to present its stance on international issues, he said.
It will also “set the tone for dialogue partner summits later in the year.”
Tensions in the South China Sea, which also worry Canberra, and ties in defense and security would also be discussed during Mr. Marcos’ visit to Australia, Ms. Daza said.
“We have very strong defense and security relations with Australia, and they’ve been partners with us for a long time, even before the official establishment of relations, because they were with us as partners during World War II,” she said.
Ms. Daza said the Philippines is expected to sign economic and security agreements with Australia during the President’s visit.
The Philippines has the fifth-largest immigrant community in Australia, with about 408,000 Filipinos living there, Ms. Daza said.
Most Filipinos there work as craft and trade workers and professional service and sales workers. Most of them work for Australian companies in agriculture, forestry and fishery.
Australia has also been a key destination for Filipino students seeking higher education, she said. The country had almost 18,000 international students from the Philippines in 2022.
The Philippines received more than 2,600 tourists from Australia last year. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza