MALACAÑANG said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will not ban nickel export to China to counter the alleged plan of Beijing to impose economic sanctions against Manila over heightened maritime issues between the two countries.
"The president will not think of that kind of retaliation because we know that China and the Philippines help each other in relation to the economy, trade, and investment," Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said on Tuesday.
She was reacting to a media query about whether the government intends to ban nickel export to China as a retaliation to Beijing's reported economic threat.
“The economy is a different issue, and protecting our interests is also a different issue," she said in Filipino in a press briefing.
