Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos jnr,who had been urging Albanese to make the trip,showed his gratitude by presiding over a lavish welcome ceremony at the presidential palace.
The event included a jaunty performance ofWaltzing Matilda on traditional bamboo instruments.
Marcos’s predecessor Rodrigo Duterte was a notorious human rights abuser who sidelined the Philippines’ traditional closeness with the US by cosying up to Beijing.
By contrast,the suave Marcos has given the US military expanded access to Philippine bases and pushed back on Beijing’s territorial expansionism in the South China Sea. He’s also more enthusiastically backed AUKUS than any other South-East Asian leader.
The Chinese Coast Guard allegedly used a water cannon against Philippine vessels in the South China Sea.Credit:Reuters
A clash last month,in which Chinese coastguards fired a water cannon on a Philippine boat,heightened tensions between the two nations. So did Beijing’s provocative decision to release a new national map claiming maritime territory that,according to the United Nations,belongs to the Philippines.
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During the ceremony in Manila,Marcos thanked Albanese for making “very clear that the claims that are being made upon our Philippine maritime territory,are not valid and have not been recognised,and are not in conjunction or consistent with international law”.
Albanese,in turn,committed to defending international law in the South China Sea,saying:“We regard the presence of an open,stable and prosperous region as being absolutely critical.”
Albanese and Marcos’s official upgrading of the bilateral relationship to a “strategic partnership” and introduction of reciprocal working holiday visas follows unprecedented joint military exercises last month in which Australian and Philippine troops staged the retaking of an island in the South China Sea.
Joint Australia-Philippines naval patrols through the contested waters,also the first of their kind,are set to follow soon.
Albanese’s Manila trip shows the delicate two-step routine he is trying to pull off as he prepares to head to China by the end of the year.
On the one hand,he is seeking to repair economic relations with Australia’s largest trading partner. On the other,he wants to deter Beijing from pushing its military ambitions into dangerous territory. That’s where closer ties with nations such as Japan,India and now the Philippines come into play.
While there is still much potential left untapped – especially on the trade side – a relationship that has been undervalued for too long is finally having its moment in the sun.
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