PH-China dispute: This time with spunk and dignity

Leticia Ramos Shahani

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How do we, Filipinos, engage China? We must use a multi-dimensional approach and not be content with a simple, predictable style

Leticia Ramos ShahaniI was quite surprised Thursday, February 6, to see a three-quarter front page picture of President Aquino in my morning copy of the International New York Times. So rarely does news from the Philippines make the front page of this prestigious, independent international daily, least of all a statement from the President of the Republic. The New York Times drew attention to the President’s strong warning that China’s mini-invasions into the West Philippine Sea could be compared to Hitler’s demands for Czech territory which subsequently led to World War II.

Was it because someone from the Philippines at long last has warned about the gravity of what the Chinese are doing with impunity in the West Philippine Sea in the name of historic rights? I am not a blind admirer of P-Noy but the President must be given credit for being outspoken and brave at the right time in the lion’s den. True to form the official news agency of Beijing, Xinhua, called the approach of President Aquino “inflammatory” and “unfortunate.” I again applauded President Aquino when he said at the first beginnings of our maritime dispute with China – “What is ours is ours” – a terse but accurate foreign/domestic policy statement on the West Philippine Sea. Unfortunately, this major statement was not followed by a clarificatory portion where some explanation could have been made on why the loss of our maritime territory so close to our long coastline along western Luzon would be fatal. And this could have been addressed to our fisher folk and local government officials who would have easily understood what was at stake – the livelihood of millions of our people and the sovereignty of our local and national governments.

True, the Department of Foreign Affairs has been consistent in putting out press releases to protest every infringement of China of our territorial waters. Although such protests sound bland and commonplace these official documents, nonetheless, represent hard work, careful yet speedy coordination with other government agencies, stress and pressure on heads of offices. Then there are the complex positions which need to be articulated at international and regional conferences regularly attended by our professional diplomats, especially at meetings of ASEAN and its dialogue partners, particularly China. Here, again, the President Aquino proved attuned to the need of the hour when he openly challenged a year ago the Chairman of that meeting (Cambodia) who gamely claimed that there was consensus among the ASEAN members on the maritime policies of China. President Aquino stated forthwith at that high-level that there was no such consensus. From time to time when there is much at stake, there must be the bite, not just the bark of diplomacy; there must be a brave assertion of our rights over and above correct and graceful manners. 

So, how do we, Filipinos, engage China? We must use a multi-dimensional approach and not be content with a simple, predictable style. Our officials, on the whole, whether from Malacañang or the Departments of Defense or Foreign Affairs, have a non-committal, bureaucratic style which is useful to keep tempers down to preserve the peace but this could be easily interpreted as cowardice, inferiority complex or to use a Chinese term – “kow-towing” before the Emperor. We need more – scientific knowledge based on our own research and of an awareness of the approach of the adversary, physical and psychological; for this we require the combined efforts of our diplomats, the military, historians, marine scientists, geographers, our coastal communities, the media etc. We need the “good guys and the bad guys” for the negotiating process. We must be adept at bilateral and multilateral talks. We should use our assets – food, language, intermarriage, the rise of the taipans – to remind the Chinese of our long tradition of friendship, peace and tolerance between our peoples. Supported by these, we can engage the Chinese with confidence and conviction just as our heroes and heroines did in the past.

At the United Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) convened in Caracas in l975, the Philippines together with Indonesia introduced the archipelagic doctrine and successfully fought for its acceptance. Under the UNCLOS, as an archipelago, the Philippines is entitled to a 200-mile exclusive economic zone from its archipelagic baselines drawn from the outermost limits of its more than 7,000 beautiful islands. But we could lose our archipelago to more powerful and ambitious neighbors. Our territory is worth defending and it needs the cooperation of all Filipinos and their friends, here and abroad. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty! Gising na bayan! – Rappler.com

Leticia Ramos Shahani is a former Senator of the Philippines and career diplomat.

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