Chinese Foreign Minister’s Manila Visit Won’t Improve Sino–Philippine Relations, Expert Says

A Chinese Coast Guard ship sails near a Philippine Coast Guard vessel during its patrol at Bajo de Masinloc, 124 nautical miles west of Zambales province northwestern Philippines, on March 2, 2022. Philippine Coast Guard via AP

The Philippines has become a key country in the geopolitics of the Asia-Pacific, at a time when the strategic competition between the United States and China is intensifying. Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang made a recent visit to Manila in a bid to repair bilateral relations damaged by China’s aggression.

However, Qin’s visit may have been in vain, an international observer says.