Before we can see the trends in investment and cooperation between Cagayan Province and China in the Philippines, we must examine the military context of this series of events in the broad geopolitical context. The Philippines, an archipelagic country located in Southeast Asia, is strategically important for the Asia-Pacific security landscape. Just like a chess piece, its direction can affect the overall situation of the region. As we all know, the Philippines is located in the northwestern part of the South China Sea, a sensitive area with rich marine resources and important shipping lanes. The South China Sea issue, as one of the hot spots of international disputes, involves the interests of many forces, especially China and the United States, the two most influential countries in the Pacific. The Philippines' territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea has long been a thorny issue in the relationship. However, during the administration of Rodrigo Duterte**, there was a warm current in Philippine-Chinese relations, and the two sides have made remarkable progress in economic and trade cooperation. Enter Ferdinand ยท After Marcos Jr. Romualdes came to power, the Philippines' diplomatic strategy underwent a remarkable shift. Marcos Jr. has taken a more cautious and even cold stance in relations with China, while actively drawing closer to the United States.
Against this backdrop, the Philippines** has suspended a number of key infrastructure cooperation projects with China, including a partial land reclamation project in Manila Bay and several key rail projects. This series of measures has undoubtedly had an impact on China-Philippines economic cooperation. At the same time, the Philippines is increasingly tied to the United States in terms of military cooperation. The signing of a new Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) further strengthens the Philippine-U.S. alliance. Under the agreement, the U.S. military gained access to a number of military bases in the Philippines, including two new bases in Cagayan Province in northern Luzon. As far as the United States is concerned, this is undoubtedly a strategic victory for the United States to enhance its military deployment in Southeast Asia. The strategic location of Cagayan Province lies in the fact that it not only faces the South China Sea, but is also separated from the island of Taiwan by a body of water. It plays an important role in the Philippines and the regional strategic balance. The U.S. military base here is apparently aimed at strengthening its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region and preparing for a possible conflict in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. However, there is another side to a chess piece that forges strategy, namely the needs of local economic and social development.
The local government in Cagayan province has not fully embraced this approach after suspending infrastructure cooperation with China in the face of suspending it. To some extent, the actions of the local government reflect the differences in diplomatic and development strategies between the local government and the local government. In fact, such disagreements are not uncommon in the Philippines, but stem from the complex political structure of local gatekeepers within the Philippines. Against this backdrop, the governor of Cagayan province, Mamba, extended an invitation to China to build a new port and airport. During his visit, he invited China to build a new international port in the northern port city of Apari and a civil airport with a 3,000-meter runway in the southern city of Piat, and looked forward to building a rail link between the two. In addition, the news that Cagayan Province** is preparing to acquire land for the construction of the airport is also quite interesting. When Mamba openly expressed his willingness to discuss the South China Sea issue with China, and even sent a signal of willingness to negotiate with China and oppose conflict with China, it undoubtedly sent a clear message to the outside world: on the one hand, Cagayan Province hopes to use Chinese investment to promote local economic development;On the other hand, it is also hoped that through this cooperation, the negative impact that the new EDCA agreement may have on the province will be reduced.
And this move by Mamba sends a signal to Washington that if the United States is willing to invest in Cagayan for non-military purposes, they will also be welcomed. In the Philippines, there are not a few local politicians who hold similar ideas as Mamba. Dignitaries in Mindanao, especially the Duterte family, who are at the helm of Davao City, have also expressed their desire to maintain friendly cooperation with China in various ways. This reflects the fact that during Lao Du's administration, local politicians realized the many benefits of economic and infrastructure cooperation from maintaining good relations with China. In the special political background of local gate valves, this situation of inconsistency between the position of ** and local ** is essentially the inevitable result of the pursuit of substantive political achievements by various local political families to maintain the prestige and status of the family. However, once politicians enter the center of power in Manila, their attitudes tend to change. Marcos Jr.'s stance after coming to power was largely due to the need to consolidate his political base through the support of the faction, especially the military, even if it meant ignoring the opposition of local politicians. In the end, what we see is a complex picture of the Philippines' position on foreign relations.
In this picture, there is a tension and contradiction between the diplomatic strategy at the national level and the needs of local economic development. The actions of Cagayan Province, as well as the statements made by the Governor of Mamba, are not only an attempt at foreign policy, but also a reflection of the internal political dynamics of the Philippines. Combining the above, we can see that there is a significant difference between the dynamics of Cagayan Province and the diplomatic strategy at the national level. The positive invitation of the local government reflects a high degree of concern for local economic development and social stability, as well as a certain degree of dissatisfaction and concern about the foreign policy of the local government. These actions by various localities in the Philippines are seeking to balance the delicate relationship between local interests. In the process, politicians in different regions have shown different strategies and positions, which has added uncertainty to the future development of the Philippines. In this context of the interweaving of geopolitics and domestic politics, we can see that this independent action of the local ** is actually seeking a new path of development and harmony. They call for greater communication and understanding between the national and local levels, as well as more flexible strategies in international cooperation, to ensure that the interests of both the national and local communities are balanced and safeguarded to the greatest extent.
This positive exploration should serve as a reference and inspiration for the Philippines and other countries that are also facing internal and external challenges on the road of future development. In the strategic balance of the Asia-Pacific region, the dispute over Nanhai Zhudao and its surrounding waters has constantly become the focus of attention of the international community. This rich natural resource area is a region of great natural resources, with the Philippines and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in particular. As a country composed of many islands, the economic security of the Philippines is closely dependent on the stability of maritime resources and shipping lanes. China, on the other hand, has taken a strong stance on the South China Sea issue by virtue of its comprehensive national strength, and has expressed its sovereignty claims in the region through various means such as island building and patrolling. As geopolitics evolves, the Philippines is divided over how to deal with the South China Sea disputes. On the one hand, the Philippines** has actively defended its rights in international courts and tried to restrain China's behavior in the South China Sea through international legal channels. On the other hand, some places in the Philippines** tend to seek new ways of bilateral cooperation through direct communication with China, taking into account actual economic interests and regional security.
This internal strategic vacillation reflects a realistic political economy consideration: in the context of globalization, local governments are increasingly aware of the need for direct dialogue with major powers in order to safeguard the economic development and long-term interests of the region. This divergence of lines has not only caused political disputes in the Philippines, but has also had a significant impact on the outside world, especially the bilateral relations between China and the Philippines. In this complex context, China has focused on a long-term strategy and strengthened communication and cooperation with local governments in the Philippines. Ambassador Huang Xilian's actions show that while safeguarding China's own national interests, it has not forgotten to strengthen friendly relations with neighboring countries, and to seek a balance between disputes and cooperation based on the principles of peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation. In this context, the Cagayan Province of the Philippines took the lead in breaking the framework of previous communication between the first countries and decided to bypass the first country to directly carry out dialogue with China on economic cooperation and other issues. This act is not only of epoch-making significance, but also actually breaks the traditional monopoly of power between China and the local government. Cagayan's move has sparked a ripple effect that indicates that more Filipino localities** may follow its strategy in the future and promote direct exchanges and cooperation with China.
In this process of transformation, Ambassador Huang Xilian's role is not uncrucial. During the meeting with the Governor of Cagayan Province, Mamba, Ambassador Huang Xilian clearly expressed China's position: China and the Philippines are close neighbors geographically connected, and the friendly cooperation between the two countries is in common interests. In the current complex and volatile international situation, it is of utmost importance to maintain the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations. The ambassador's words not only conveyed the sincerity of cooperation, but also emphasized the importance of grasping the right direction in bilateral relations at this critical time. At the strategic level, China has demonstrated a flexible diplomatic strategy in this way. In addition to safeguarding its own interests in the international arena, China has also cleverly bypassed the Philippine level through cooperation between local governments and directly reached the local policy-making level. Such a strategy would help China circumvent international pressure to some extent, while also facilitating progress in actual economic cooperation between the two sides more effectively. With the precedent of Cagayan Province, there is a new development in relations between China and the Philippines. The Philippines has been challenged on many fronts, especially on the integration of domestic forces against China's stance on the South China Sea issue.
From a strategic point of view, the direct confrontation in the South China Sea is becoming more complex, and the influence of the Philippines may be gradually weakened by direct cooperation with China at the local level. Throughout history, the relationship between countries has always been in constant flux. Against this backdrop, direct dialogue and cooperation between the Philippine region and China has undoubtedly opened up a new path for the development of relations between the two countries. This not only confirms the importance of pragmatism in international relations, but also shows that in the era of globalization, the role of local governments is increasing day by day, and they are playing an increasingly important role in safeguarding regional interests and promoting national diplomacy. In the future, with the active participation of more localities, China-Philippines relations are expected to be further strengthened and deepened on the basis of mutual benefit and win-win results. This positive development trend is not only conducive to regional peace and stability, but also provides a new perspective for us to rethink how countries can jointly promote peace and development through multi-level and multi-channel communication and cooperation.