Sea mystery
“Xi said the consensus between Hu and Aquino covered the promotion of bilateral cooperation and the proper handling of issues concerning the West Philippine Sea.
Amid the exchanges of allegations on who lost Scarborough Shoal after the standoff between Philippine and Chinese vessels sometime in 2012, lost was the supposed deal struck by then-President Noynoy Aquino and Chinese President Hu Jintao during a visit to Beijing in 2011.
Noynoy’s China handling has become a huge mystery that included employing a backchannel, then-Senator Antonio Trillanes IV who previously led failed power grab bids during the term of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Backdoor negotiator Trillanes appeared to have received a wide latitude from Aquino in dealing with Chinese officials that should have included business packages in exchange for a tacit surrender of Scarborough Shoal.
“Nobody cares in the Philippines about the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal,” was how former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile directly quoted from the notes provided by former Ambassador Sonia Brady in a discussion with Trillanes on the backchannel negotiations.
Trillanes then branded Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario a traitor which was an accusation Enrile that Trillanes apparently made on behalf of the Chinese regarding complaints thrown at the Philippine official.
During a meeting between the then-Vice President Xi Jinping, who is now the Chinese leader, and Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II, who was sent by Aquino to slip in a meeting during an ASEAN-China commercial exposition, Xi raised to Roxas the supposed “consensus” or agreement reached between Aquino and Hu.
What Hu raised during his meeting with Aquino was a suggestion for the common development of the disputed areas but to which Malacañang had purposely kept silent regarding the Philippine leader’s reply.
Xi said the consensus between Hu and Aquino covered the promotion of bilateral cooperation and the proper handling of issues concerning the West Philippine Sea.
Xi then insisted that the consensus “still works as an important guideline for the development of bilateral ties” and that the two countries should “honestly implement the consensus in an aim to promote the healthy and stable development of the bilateral relations.”
Stripped of the diplomatese, Xi’s statement was obviously directed at Aquino, to remind him about an agreement that China expects the Philippines to honor.
It appeared that Aquino was purposely silent on what was agreed on since the United States was then on his back to put in his share in the Asian rebalancing policy as a dependable regional ally.
Being crafted then was the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) that now allows American troops and equipment to use specific military camps.
Aquino then had relied on informal channels such as private sector agreements among Chinese and Filipino businesses to satisfy what he committed to China including joint energy exploration deals.
Aquino until the end of his term did not reveal what the consensus with Hu was all about.
The fact that Xi raised the mysterious deal in his dialog with Roxas indicated it was a key agreement that was expected to be fulfilled and that China believed that the Philippines has not lived up to its part of the deal.
Whatever the agreement is all about, Noynoy had chosen to be totally opaque about it.
Knowing what the agreement was all about may provide the key to unlocking a solution to the maritime friction.
“What Hu raised during his meeting with Aquino was a suggestion for the common development of the disputed areas but to which Malacañang had purposely kept silent regarding the Philippine leader’s reply.