What Philippine President Marcos Said About China in His State of the Nation Address

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ended his fifth State of the Nation Address on July 27 by making veiled remarks directed at China as he enjoined Filipinos to unite and defend the country’s honor.

Marcos mentioned China only once in his speech when he enumerated the countries that provided oil supply after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz in March and April. But the last part of his speech alluded to the country’s defensive posture in the West Philippine Sea, even if he did not directly name China.

Marcos addressed both “friends” and “detractors” when he called Filipinos a “noble, kind, gracious, and great race.” He added: “We are not greedy. We are not racists. We are not liars.” He was obviously referring to the controversial animated video released by a Chinese state media outlet depicting Filipinos as monkeys.

He asserted that Filipinos “do not yield” which was a reiteration of his speech in 2024 in Singapore pertaining to the country’s defense of its maritime zones. He made it clear that this was about upholding the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which invalidated China’s “nine-dash line” claim over most parts of the South China Sea and affirmed the Philippines’ sovereignty over features lying within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf.

Marcos acknowledged the 10th anniversary of the Arbitral Award and underscored the support received by the Philippines from various governments. “This is not a claim that we advance alone, nor is it one that we will abandon,” he said.

He added that his government will push back against any domestic or foreign attempt to undermine the Award, which addressed China’s continuing insistence that the decision is illegal, null, void, and has no binding effect.

This rhetoric is not new but it carried more weight in light of recent clashes involving Chinese and Philippine ships at Second Thomas Shoal (known in the Philippines as Ayungin Shoal), which is claimed by the two countries despite being located inside Manila’s EEZ.

The incident was tackled during a meeting between Marcos and the Chinese Ambassador a week before the State of the Nation Address. But it didn’t ease the verbal spat among some Chinese and Filipino officials. It even prompted the Philippines’ Defense Secretary to accuse the Chinese diplomat of violating an agreement about embargoing the contents of the conversation during the meeting. The Defense Secretary also called for the resignation of “pro-China” politicians who reject or refuse to uphold the laws affirming the country’s sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea.

The appeal to nationalism was triggered by Marcos, who ended his annual speech before the joint session of Congress by rephrasing the country’s national anthem. “We will not be subdued by those who seek to oppress us,” he said.

Marcos invoked the lessons of history to remind Filipinos of the struggle for independence and the need to rally behind the government’s position in resolving the maritime tension with China. But Marcos didn’t point out that if history is to be used as reference, the country’s resistance against foreign oppressors was about ending the colonial rule of the United States and Japan during the first half of the 20^th century. This is quite ironic since the two countries are now the strongest allies of the Philippine government in calling out China’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea.

Marcos articulated the priorities of his administration but his speech was also significant for what he didn’t say. For example, he made no reference to the ongoing impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte even if it was reported later that he approved the release of tax and bank records of his erstwhile political ally. In the case of China, Marcos only mentioned the country’s big neighbor once, but he devoted the last part of his speech to highlighting the maritime dispute and tension over the West Philippine Sea not just to affirm his foreign policy but also to appeal for unity amid the intensifying political crisis and continuing public outrage over the failure to end corruption and ease the economic hardships of the people.