Marcos-led Philippines plays both sides in diplomatic tug of war with US and China

MANILA – A foreign policy reboot is under way in the Philippines, as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr strikes a delicate balancing act between the United States and China amid the two superpowers’ intensifying

battle for influence in South-east Asia.

Mr Marcos,

who took office in June,

has abandoned his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte’s pro-China approach in favour of a more nuanced foreign policy that revives ties with old military ally Washington while also forging deeper economic relations with Beijing.