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Manila (AFP) – Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in the Philippines Tuesday for his first state visit to the country, a traditional ally of the United States which is a key prize while Beijing and Washington vie for supremacy in the Peaceful.
China has achieved outstanding success with the 2016 election of President Rodrigo Duterte, which has shaken the Philippine's secular connection with the United States while seeking trade and investment from their US rival.
Manila said that she hoped that this two-day stopover, the first of a Chinese president for 13 years, will finally resolve the agreements signed for investments in major infrastructure projects promised by Beijing during of Duterte's visit two years ago.
China has dispersed tens of billions of dollars in loans since 2013 by reinforcing its political influence on a global scale, thus countering the American hegemony that has characterized the order of the aftermath. war, especially in Asia.
However, even before the expected arrival of Mr. Xi Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of protesters went to the Chinese Embassy to voice their opposition to closer ties with Beijing.
"The Philippines is not for sale," protesters chanted, some of them brandishing banners saying "China out of Philippine waters" in reference to a longstanding dispute over the South China Sea.
Duterte embraced Xi enthusiastically, even overturning a key 2016 ruling by an international tribunal that declared Beijing's expansive claim on the waterway groundless.
At the same time, the mercurial leader ended what he termed the Philippines' bid relationship with the United States, even qualifying the then US President Barack Obama as "son of a bitch".
But relations have been more lenient since Donald Trump became president of the United States and abandoned American criticism of Duterte's anti-drug crackdown that killed thousands of people.
The dispute over the South China Sea, rich in natural resources, vital transit route for billions of trade, has led to a freeze of relations between Manila and Beijing, which has thawed with Duterte's pivot.
– Duterte take a ride? –
China subsequently pledged $ 24 billion in loans and investments, but only a tiny portion was paid, prompting critics to say that Duterte was cheated.
At the same time, others have warned against a "debt trap", citing the record of China's loans to the rest of the developing world.
Philippine analyst Richard Heydarian said China's pledges Manila to "take a soft stance" on the problem of the South China Sea, but that Beijing failed to hold its share of the market.
"We know that there has been a geopolitical calculation," he told AFP. "What makes him rush if Duterte gave them what they want?"
Philippine Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno acknowledged last week that the delays were due in part to the lack of understanding of the Philippines' call for tenders process for major infrastructure projects, but he did not hide his wish that things speed up.
"The visit of the Chinese head of state will put pressure on the team (in Beijing)," added Diokno.
Gregory Wyatt, director of business intelligence at PSA Philippines Consultancy, said major projects face many obstacles in the Philippines, such as right-of-way issues, regulatory approvals and political dissent.
"The foreign investment came, not the infrastructure loans," he added.
Chinese investment in the Philippines has been multiplied by five in the first six months of the year, following an expansion of 67 percent last year, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a statement. a visit to Manila last month.
Bilateral trade also exceeded 10% in both periods, he added.
Chinese investors have invested money in online gaming, real estate, service providers and stakes in existing Filipino companies, but not in large scale infrastructure or in the US. manufacturing industry, said Wyatt.
While the government supported him, "that does not mean that all local bureaucrats, politicians, and the general public engage enthusiastically," Wyatt said.
