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Aquino’s China bashing will impact long-term interests
By Liu Zhun Published: 2015-9-24 0:13:01
Having one foot in his lame-duck phase, the Philippine President Benigno Aquino seems reluctant to finish his remaining tenure quietly, especially in terms of the South China Sea disputes. After insinuating that China is behaving like Nazi Germany over the territorial disputes earlier this June, Aquino rejected China's South China Sea claims in a recent interview with ABS-CBN television, saying that from the Chinese perspective, "what is ours is ours, what is yours, we share," satirizing China's proposal of joint development of the sea, while maintaining sovereignty over the region.
Aquino also disapproved of China's advocacy of bilateral talks to address the issues, saying that dialogues must be multilateral with all other claimants involved.
Since the princeling took office in 2010, China-Philippines relations have been in decline. Featuring strong antagonism against China due to the island disputes, Aquino's China policy has proven counterproductive. As a world economic powerhouse, China's economic rearrangement serves the best chance of greater development for the Philippines, as China is shifting some investments and excess capacity to the outside. However, by sensationalizing the territorial feud and inciting an anti-China sentiment, the Aquino administration doesn't seem to be playing a constructive role in the bilateral relationship.
The Aquino government lacks realistic insights. Territory and sovereignty matter, and the disputes affiliated to them always touch upon a nation's core interests. But the implications of the disputes must be kept within a controllable range. Aquino's problem is that he has over-amplified the role of territorial disputes in bilateral relations.
Manila wishes more international pressures would force China to back off, but it ignores the fact that with larger involvement from international forces, the South China Sea is unfortunately evolving to be an arena of major-power rivalry. In this case, Manila will end up having less say over essential matters while putting its interests in jeopardy.
Amid the simmering tensions, Manila portrays China as a "bully," which has even become China's nickname in the Philippine media. The Philippines ignores the logic of China's rise: China won't and can't be an aggressive major power if it acquires that status through looting and bullying. China has no choice but to walk the walk after it has promised joint development in the South China Sea.
The icy China-Philippines ties will stand out on Aquino's list of negative achievements. This diplomatic failure needs correction. Let's hope the next leader of the Philippines will recalibrate.
@Raphael , @opruh , @Beast , @cirr , @AndrewJin , @Shotgunner51 et al
By Liu Zhun Published: 2015-9-24 0:13:01
Having one foot in his lame-duck phase, the Philippine President Benigno Aquino seems reluctant to finish his remaining tenure quietly, especially in terms of the South China Sea disputes. After insinuating that China is behaving like Nazi Germany over the territorial disputes earlier this June, Aquino rejected China's South China Sea claims in a recent interview with ABS-CBN television, saying that from the Chinese perspective, "what is ours is ours, what is yours, we share," satirizing China's proposal of joint development of the sea, while maintaining sovereignty over the region.
Aquino also disapproved of China's advocacy of bilateral talks to address the issues, saying that dialogues must be multilateral with all other claimants involved.
Since the princeling took office in 2010, China-Philippines relations have been in decline. Featuring strong antagonism against China due to the island disputes, Aquino's China policy has proven counterproductive. As a world economic powerhouse, China's economic rearrangement serves the best chance of greater development for the Philippines, as China is shifting some investments and excess capacity to the outside. However, by sensationalizing the territorial feud and inciting an anti-China sentiment, the Aquino administration doesn't seem to be playing a constructive role in the bilateral relationship.
The Aquino government lacks realistic insights. Territory and sovereignty matter, and the disputes affiliated to them always touch upon a nation's core interests. But the implications of the disputes must be kept within a controllable range. Aquino's problem is that he has over-amplified the role of territorial disputes in bilateral relations.
Manila wishes more international pressures would force China to back off, but it ignores the fact that with larger involvement from international forces, the South China Sea is unfortunately evolving to be an arena of major-power rivalry. In this case, Manila will end up having less say over essential matters while putting its interests in jeopardy.
Amid the simmering tensions, Manila portrays China as a "bully," which has even become China's nickname in the Philippine media. The Philippines ignores the logic of China's rise: China won't and can't be an aggressive major power if it acquires that status through looting and bullying. China has no choice but to walk the walk after it has promised joint development in the South China Sea.
The icy China-Philippines ties will stand out on Aquino's list of negative achievements. This diplomatic failure needs correction. Let's hope the next leader of the Philippines will recalibrate.
@Raphael , @opruh , @Beast , @cirr , @AndrewJin , @Shotgunner51 et al
