China congratulates leading candidates, Philippines on smooth conduct of 2022 elections

China has commended the Philippines for its smooth conduct of the May 9 national and local elections and extended its greetings to the leading candidates. 

“China congratulated the Philippines on the smooth presidential election. Our congratulations also go to the leading candidates. We hope and believe that various political forces in the Philippines will continue to work in solidarity for national renewal and development,” said Zhao Lijian, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson when asked to comment on the just-concluded Philippine elections.

To date, former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, are leading the presidential and vice presidential race, respectively, by a wide margin over their rivals based on partial, unofficial count.

Zhao added that China and the Philippines, facing each other across the waters, enjoy a long-standing traditional friendship.

“We are good partners for mutually-beneficial cooperation and fellow travelers on the road to common development. Under the strategic guidance of our heads of state, bilateral relations have been steadily upgraded. The flourishing relationship has delivered benefits to both peoples and contributed to regional peace and stability,” he said.

Zhao stressed that China will continue to work together with the Philippines to stay committed to good-neighborliness and friendship, focus on post-COVID growth, expand win-win cooperation, and bring more tangible benefits to both peoples.

‘International standards’

Earlier Wednesday, the United States said it looks forward to working with the next Philippine president “on key human rights and regional priorities,” adding that Monday's elections were conducted according to international standards and without any major incident.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price told the media in Washington that once the next president is officially proclaimed, the US will work “to strengthen the enduring alliance between the United States and the Philippines.”

“We’re monitoring the election results and we look forward to renewing our special partnership and to working with the next administration on key human rights and regional priorities,” Price said Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).

Asked if the US has any concern with Marcos possibly being the next president, Price replied: “What I can say from a technical standpoint is that we understand the casting and counting of votes to have been conducted in line with international standards and without significant incident.”

“The counting is still underway. It is not for us to declare a winner. We'll wait for the Philippines election authorities to do that. We look forward to working with the president-elect on the shared values and the shared interests that have united our countries across generations,” Price said. — RSJ, GMA News