Philippines’ Marcos Jr. heads to China amid sea disputes

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is heading to China for an official visit including a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. He said he looked forward to their meeting as they work toward boosting bilateral relations. He alluded to the countries’ dispute over the South China Sea, saying such problems “do not belong between two friends” and they would work to resolve them to their countries’ mutual benefit. China has ignored a 2016 arbitration ruling that invalidated Beijing’s claims to the waterway in a case brought by the Philippines. Manila says Beijing has since developed disputed reefs into artificial islands with airplane runways and other structures so they now resemble forward military bases.