Young Filipinos See China as Key Trade Partner Despite Sea Tensions

In a car wash lounge in Davao, southern Philippines, 29-year-old cashier Shenilane Formento scrolls through messages on her Oppo phone—a Chinese brand—while waiting for a customer to pay. Formento, who has worked there for about a year, follows South China Sea news through social media. She sees frequent reports of confrontations between Philippine and Chinese forces in the disputed waters. She calls these incidents "disappointing." Yet she remains open to China, a sentiment shared by many young Filipinos who separate political tensions from economic opportunity.