Are we ready to sail with the Chinese?

NOT very many people may have noticed President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s short statement on foreign policy in his State of the Nation Address, but it did not escape China's official notice. A few days after BBM declared that "our independent foreign policy — to be a friend to all, and an enemy to none — has proven effective," China decided to put it to the test.

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian proposed that China and the Philippines, which are not military allies but in dispute over some maritime entitlements, conduct joint military exercises.