US, China, Japan, EU air hopes of working with next PHL leader
THE United States, Japan, China and the European Union said they are looking forward to working with the next Philippine president. “We’re monitoring the election results, and we look forward to renewing our special partnership and to working with the next administration on key human rights and regional priorities,” US State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
Price said the Us—the only defense ally of the Philippines— “look(s) forward to working with the president-elect, once that person is officially named, to strengthen the enduring alliance between the US and the Philippines.”
“It’s an enduring alliance that is rooted in a long and deeply interwoven history, shared democratic values and interests, and strong people-to-people ties between our countries as friends, as partners, as allies,” he added.
Price brushed off a question from a journalist if the US has concerns with former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. being the new Philippine president. “What I can say from a technical standpoint is that we understand the casting and counting of votes to have been conducted in line with international standards and without significant incident. Again, the counting is still underway. It is not for us to declare a winner. We’ll wait for the Philippines election authorities to do that,” he replied.
The journalist hurled another question. “I’m not asking you to declare a winner. I’m just asking you if you have any particular concerns about Marcos’s son becoming the next president . . . You certainly had concerns about Duterte.”
Price answered: “We look forward to working with the president-elect on the shared values and the shared interests that have united our countries across generations.”
US President Biden is meeting Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. Thursday US time (May 12), representing President Duterte, for the 2nd Us-asean Summit.
“We’ll continue to collaborate closely to advance a free and open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient Indo-pacific region. We’ll also continue, as I said before, to promote respect for human rights and the rule of law, which is fundamental to US relations with the Philippines and in other bilateral contexts as well. And we’re very pleased to welcome Secretary of Foreign Affairs Locsin to Washington this week for the Us-asean summit,” he added.
Japan, China and EU also said they will work on building close ties with the next Philippine president.
The top Japanese government spokesman made the comment as Marcos Jr. led the partial, unofficial tally, with 99 percent of the results in. Five of his nine rivals have conceded.
“We will further strengthen our relations with the Philippines, an important strategic partner in the region,” Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a press conference.
In Beijing, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, congratulated the Philippines “on the smooth presidential election.”
“Our congratulations also go to the leading candidates. We hope and believe that various political forces in the Philippines will continue to work in solidarity for national renewal and development,” Zhao added.
He cited the “long-standing traditional friendship” accompanied by an”upgraded” bilateral relations under the “strategic guidance” of President Xi Jinping and President Duterte.
“The flourishing relationship has delivered benefits to both peoples and contributed to regional peace and stability. China will continue to work together with the Philippines to stay committed to good-neighborliness and friendship, focus on post-covid growth, expand win-win cooperation, and bring more tangible benefits to both peoples,” Zhao added.