Comment: The Philippines walk a tightrope with Chinese help

But this is not the full story. The preliminary data of the Southeast Asia Help card in the 2025 of 2025 is gradually showing Marcos compared to its predecessor – although from a low base – driven by the Eximonque Infrastructure loans of New China, previously supporting more Marcos potential.

This suggests that the Marcos government is now heading for a more selective and opportunistic approach: carefully accepting Chinese funding when it corresponds to the needs of the country, while postponing strategic and security problems.

It is a walk on the stiff rope. While China becomes more assertive in the region and the West reduces global aid spending, the Philippines are found with less alternatives.

Manila wants to assert her sovereignty, but she also needs roads, bridges and power plants. Pragmatism, not ideology, stimulates decisions to finance development.

The future of the Philippines will depend on its ability to continue to walk this fine line: to benefit from support for the development of China without being supervised by the Beijing Strategic Agenda. It is not an easy task. But in a region increasingly defined by economic opportunities and geopolitical tension, it can be the only option that remains.

Alexandre Dayer is an economist principal and deputy director of the Indo-Pacific Development Center for the Indo-Pacific of Lowy Institute. Grace Stanhope is associated with research in the same center. This commentary appeared for the first time On the blog of the Lowy Institute, the interpreter.