Join our chief correspondent and anchor Pia Hontiveros on Politics As Usual — your weekly political appointment fix.br br President Marcos' recent state visit to China is proof of his administration's goal to strengthen Manila's decades-long ties with Beijing.br br And in the wake of protests and issues over territorial claims, the president decided to appoint as Philippine envoy a former student activist who eventually became a journalist and chronicled China's transformation into a superpower.