Defining complex relations with Beijing, Washington
UNWITTINGLY or by design, the Philippines is agitating China mainly over disputed territories located west of Palawan province. If the objective of Manila’s foreign policymakers is to arrive at a peaceful resolution to sensitive issues in the West Philippine Sea, the Chinese reaction to recent developments suggests that the Philippine strategy needs to be reviewed.
In an editorial of the Global Times, the influential Chinese newspaper suggested that economic sanctions be imposed on the Philippines for playing the China card to garner greater military support and other favors from the US. The editorial was apparently a reaction to a Washington Post story, which said that American presence was to be beefed up in the Philippines to counter China.
Naturally, we hope that policymakers in Beijing are more sober than the journalists at the Global Times, which belongs to a media group owned by the Communist Party of China. Imposing economic sanctions on the Philippines will drive Manila even closer into the arms of Washington. Consider the developments in Vietnam, the other Southeast Asian country creating headaches for China in the West Philippine Sea. Who could have imagined that Vietnam and the US would be friends today after they fought a war that concluded only in 1975? The Chinese who antagonized Vietnam over territorial claims in the Spratlys probably did not think that was possible.
For its part, Manila should review its foreign policy objectives and defense strategies. Certainly, Philippine leaders should defend our territory. The question is how.
First, Philippine officials need to better appreciate the Chinese. More than saying that the Philippines wishes to maintain good relations with China, Manila should also show it. For now, the Philippines and China have good economic ties. The Philippines enjoys a favorable balance of trade with China, selling $14.6billion worth of goods to the mainland. And both countries aim to boost bilateral trade to $60 billion by 2016. That would be the likely cost of economic sanctions.
Second, Manila should decouple the link between its military modernization and the perceived threat from China. Even in the absence of territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea, Filipinos still need a modern military. The Philippines, after all, faces security threats from two rebel groups and from various terrorist movements.
China, which was ravaged by foreign powers in recent centuries, should appreciate the value of a capable national defense force. That is what the Philippines wants, and that is what local leaders are doing with help from the US.
How the US should help
For its part, the US should reassess the threat posed by China. We hope that the “hawks” in Washington realize that there is more to be gained by fostering relations with China than by antagonizing Beijing.
We also hope that Philippine policymakers are not so naïve as to make this country a puppet state that mainly serves Washington’s interests. The Philippines needs to be clear that we welcome help from friends, like the US, in rebuilding our security capabilities. However, our guiding principles should always be our own national interest, not that of any foreign power.
Of course, America’s actions are likewise governed by their interests. But we can collaborate on points where Philippine and US interests converge.
For the US, it has spelled out that freedom of navigation in this region is in its national interest. But the same may be said by China and the Philippines. Also, we doubt that thwarting China’s rise as a military and economic superpower—if that is the American goal, as some Chinese claim—is in the interest of the Philippines. Filipinos have more to gain from a wealthier, even more powerful China, through trade, investments, and even tourism.
Furthermore, the US should be clearer on what role it expects the Philippines to play. Does Washington want the Philippines to act as a buffer state against China? That would make the Philippines a US pawn. Or does Washington want Filipinos to play a significant role in helping maintain peace and stability in the region through expansion and deepening of interlocking interests, economic or otherwise? In that case, the US should consider the Philippines as an equal and not merely as its former ward. Also in that case, the Us-philippine relationship should be defined by mutual respect, which, incidentally, is what Filipinos also want from the Chinese.