ASEAN Beat | Diplomacy | Southeast Asia

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

His rhetoric was familiar, but carried additional weight in light of recent clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea.

Philippine lawmakers applaud while President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers his State of the Nation Address at the Philippine Congress in Quezon City, July 27, 2026.

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........

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