PBBM DUMISTANSIYA SA US AT CHINA

SINABI ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. kay World Economic Forum (WEF) President Børge Brende na hindi siya nagtatrabaho alinman sa China at Estados Unidos dahil pino-promote niya ang “national interest” ng Pilipinas.

Inihayag ito ng Pangulo sa dayalogo kasama si Brende sa Davos, Switzerland kung saan tinanong siya ukol sa foreign policy ng bansa.

“I think most leaders and most strategists have a consensus that we should not fall back into that situation where countries should choose which side they would be on,” ang wika ng Pangulo.

“When asked which side are you on, I said I don’t work for Beijing, I don’t work for Washington D.C. I work for the Philippines. So I’m on the side of the Philippines and that really translates into a very simple statement of foreign policy which is that I promote the national interest,” dagdag na pahayag nito.

Nauna rito, sinabi ng Punong Ehekutibo na ang Pilipinas at ibang bansa sa Asia-Pacific ay “facing pressure to take sides” bunsod ng tensyon sa rehiyon dahil sa geopolitical rivalry.

Habang kinikilala ni Pangulong Marcos ang China at Estados Unidos na kabilang sa “largest trading partners” ng Pilipinas, pagdating sa seguridad, umaasa ang Pangulo na mapanatili nito ang kasunduan sa Estados Unidos.

Aniya, “the Philippines is the superpowers only treaty partner in Asia, and ties with the US have remained strong, but the relationship has to “evolve” to become stronger.”

“We are living within the context of all of these other forces coming out, especially in the region of the South China Sea. Again, to be able to respond properly, we have to evolve these relationships,”ayon sa Pangulo.

“In terms of cross strait tensions, we are at the very front line and whenever these tensions increase, the ships come out – the Chinese and their coast guard vessels and the Americans answer, we are watching as bystanders. If something goes wrong here, we are going to suffer,” dagdag na pahayag nito sabay sabing. “That’s why, when asked ‘What is your foreign policy and how would you describe it,’ I say that it’s a commitment to peace and guided very, very closely by our national interests.”