Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr appears to have convinced himself that he can walk a geopolitical tightrope without ever looking down.
On the one hand, he courts Washington, granting the Pentagon access to more military bases, hosting United States missile systems, and allowing the Philippines to be positioned as a forward outpost for whatever confrontation some in Washington have in mind. On the other hand, he courts Beijing — for trade, for investment, for the infrastructure that keeps his…