MANILA — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. dismissed speculations surrounding his brief interaction with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the close of the 2025 APEC Summit, clarifying that it was merely an act of politeness and carried no diplomatic implications.
“It was just a very quick (encounter),” Marcos told reporters after the summit in South Korea. “Sabi ko lang sa kanya, ‘congratulations, we look forward to doing a lot of good work with you as APEC chair.’ And he said, ‘thank you, thank you.’ And that was it. There was really not very much to it.”
The President explained that he approached Xi purely “out of common courtesy,” as China is set to host next year’s APEC gathering. “Masyado kayong deep. It’s just common courtesy,” he said, emphasizing that it is his habit to exchange brief greetings with fellow leaders during international meetings.
Marcos underscored that the brief encounter should not be interpreted as signaling any thaw or shift in Manila-Beijing relations, which remain strained over maritime disputes in the West Philippine Sea. “There was no special diplomatic meaning attached to it,” he noted.
He likewise clarified that no meeting took place between him and United States President Donald Trump, who attended the summit primarily to engage in trade talks with Xi.
“We didn’t ask, neither side asked for a meeting from the US or from the Philippines. We are in very, very close communication with the White House,” Marcos said, referring to ongoing bilateral discussions on trade and investment.
The President’s remarks sought to put to rest public and media speculation that his fleeting exchange with Xi hinted at a softening of tensions between the Philippines and China./PN
