As much as I want to refrain from criticizing China’s foreign policy, I feel I would be defaulting in my own little way if we let the bully destabilize the region because of aggressive action in the West Philippine Sea. Just because it’s more popularly known as the South China Sea does not give the Chinese the torrens title to claim the whole vast of water as theirs. India does not claim the Indian Ocean entirely its own just because it is named after the country.
China, on the other hand, keeps violating international law despite The Hague court ruling that Beijing has no legal basis for its sweeping claim of nearly the entire South China. That the Chinese continue their transgression on Philippine sovereign waters by deploying more ships near the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Panatag) which is only 230 kilometers off Bajo de Masinloc in Zambales makes China an outlaw—it has no regard for international laws. Considering that Scarborough Shoal is 660 kilometers from Hainan, the nearest Chinese landmass, Scarborough/Panatag gives the Philippines more right to it because of proximity. Or at least make the disputed shoal within international waters under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea mandating a 200-mile economic zone for countries with coastal lines.
The Philippines at the Asean summit in Laos presented photos taken of the Chinese ships in the disputed area. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the surveillance photos taken by Philippine Air Force planes showed six Chinese patrol boats and four barges that could carry troops to be used for further island building of military installations.
“This is a matter of grave concern,” said Lorenzana, even as the Chinese ambassador in Manila was summoned by the Department of Foreign Affairs to explain the inimical presence of more Chinese boats in the area. Indeed, China’s aggression and flagrant violation of international laws in the wake of The Hague court ruling against it is a serious concern, not only for the Philippines but for other countries whose cargo vessels use vital SCS sea lanes. The United States is at the forefront of international concern about China’s threat to freedom of navigation even as the world watches this flashpoint that could erupt into a an armed confrontation between the two global powers.
Why is Beijing obsessed with claiming more than 90 percent of the South China Sea? According to foreign observers and global analysts, China is beset with internal problems like a slumping economy and the great demand to feed its 1.2-billion people. The answer, according to think-tank analysts, lies beneath the South China Sea with its potential oil, gas and mineral resources, not to mention the vast fishing ground to feed its people. Whereas the Chinese used to be just poachers in Philippine waters, it is now they who keep Filipinos out by deploying a flotilla of patrol boats to intimidate the local fisherfolk of Zambales. Times have indeed changed since that standoff at Scarborough Shoal where the Philippine Coast Guard apprehended a Chinese fishing boat loaded with marine catch.
It has become a source of concern that President Rodrigo Duterte’s intemperate remarks against the US, a major ally, come at a time when the country needs friends more than it does enemies. Duterte’s comment that the “Philippines is not a lackey of any nation” sends the wrong signal to countries willing to help us against China’s aggression. Duterte’s biggest contribution to the already-tense situation is to keep his silence. The President should be advised (if there are still a few brave souls in the Cabinet to do so) about the intricacies of foreign relations.
The Philippines cannot be called a lackey just because the country accepted several patrol boats from Japan (a former World War II enemy) to strengthen our maritime border security. It’s a changing world that allows former foes to become friends because of mutual security interests. Another case in point is Vietnam, a former ally of China during the US-Vietnam war, being now friendly with the US because of its dispute with Beijing over the Paracels.
Duterte should be told that in international relations, there is no such thing as being able to chart an independent foreign policy. Every nation is interdependent with another without being a lackey. “Lackey” is a hackneyed word used by China to disparage any country that aligns itself with America.
So whose lackey are we then if not America’s? Not China’s, I hope. We have a Mutual Defense Treaty and an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with the United States. The MDT, signed on Aug. 31, 1951 in Washington, and Edca, recently ruled valid by the Supreme Court, serve as deterrents—if only for appearance’s sake—against an aggressive and rising China. American and Filipino troops conduct regular military exercises called Balikatan to enhance the capability of our troops in defending the country from external attacks.