May 6, 2016 – With the radar of foreign diplomats, especially those from China, trained on the May 9 election, an eager wave of anticipation is in the air as they look forward to new nuances in the bilateral ties at the hands of the next Philippine head of state.

With the brewing tension in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), Beijing has lately been pressing its stance that they will consider dealing with Philippines again regarding the maritime dispute after the Aquino Administration hands over to that of the newly elected president.

In a News5 interview with China’s Ambassador Zhao Jianhua on Thursday, he optimistically declared that his country is looking forward to improved bilateral relations between China and Philippines: “We hope we will have a new chapter in our bilateral relationship, which will focus on trade; economic investments; tourism; finance; and people-to-people links that will benefit both sides.”

http://interaksyon.com/article/127387/chinas-diplomatic-radar-keenly-follows-ph-national-election