President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. clarified that his brief interaction with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the conclusion of the 2025 APEC Summit was simply an act of goodwill and respect, as China prepares to chair next year’s summit.
“It was just a very quick (encounter),” Marcos told reporters. “Sabi ko lang sa kanya, ‘congratulations, we look forward to doing a lot of good work with you as APEC chair.’ And he said, ‘thank you, thank you.’ And that was it. There was really not very much to it.”
The President explained that he approached Xi “out of common courtesy,” adding, “Masyado kayong deep. It’s just common courtesy.” He also noted that he tries to speak with as many leaders as possible during summits to exchange perspectives.
Marcos added that there was no planned meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, who attended the event mainly to meet Xi for trade discussions. “We didn’t ask, neither side asked for a meeting from the U.S. or from the Philippines. We are in very, very close communication with the White House,” he said, referring to ongoing trade talks between Philippine and U.S. officials.