P-NOY ON THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

Philippine President Benigno Simeon Aquino III just gave his first State of the Nation Address (SONA). The address was in Filipino. 


In rough translation, referring to the brewing maritime disputes with China early in his remarks, he said "What belongs to the Philippines belongs to the Philippines...If someone steps on Recto (Reed) Bank, he might as well have stepped on Recto Avenue" (Recto Avenue is a main thoroughfare in downtown Manila) Also, he said that "we're not looking to escalate tensions, but we are ready to defend what is ours," and that "taking the problem to ITLOS (International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea) will better ensure calm and self-restraint." 
[For an official translation of the SONA, see: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/227350/nation/president-aquinos-state-of-the-nation-address-2011]

WHITHER PHILIPPINES-CHINA RELATIONS UNDER PRESIDENT NOYNOY AQUINO?

Re-posting here. This originally came out in Bong Mendoza's Blog, April 20, 2011
Philippines-China relations must be at one of its lowest points ever. Even during the height of the Mischief Reef crisis (1995-1997), economic ties were growing and there was minimal effect on warm people-to-people linkages.

Now the value of economic cooperation with China has been questioned due to perceptions that it has been pursued through corrupt practices (e.g. NBN-ZTE, Northrail, Southrail, Transco, etc). People-to-people ties have also been damaged by the Hong Kong hostage crisis and to a lesser extent by Chinese execution of Filipino drug mules. Moreover, the South China Sea territorial dispute remains a flashpoint, with the Chinese side issuing warnings over recent Philippine-sanctioned oil exploration activities by UK-based Forum Energy on the Reed Bank.

TERRITORIAL DISPUTES IN EAST ASIA: PROXIES FOR CHINA-US STRATEGIC COMPETITION?

Economics, Politics and Public Policy in East Asia and the Pacific
Aileen S.P. Baviera, University of the Philippines


November 27th, 2010
Recent tiffs between China and Japan, China and Vietnam and China and the US concerning the status of disputed islands and waters in the South and the East China seas possess a significance quite distinct from disagreements of the past. More specifically, previous contests amongst coastal states for sovereignty, fisheries, energy resources and maritime navigational rights continue to exist, but they are now being overshadowed by the rivalry among major powers in pursuit of the broader goal of establishing, and expanding, strategic influence.

POWER ASYMMETRY IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

Philippine Daily Inquirer

12:29 am | Sunday, June 26th, 2011

“China is a big country and other countries are small countries, and that’s just a fact,” China’s Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said at the 17th Asean Regional Forum in July 2010, after several countries, including the United States,  raised concerns on the South China Sea.

Most reports say the statement was directed at Singapore’s Foreign Minister George Yeo, presumably in response to the city state’s active role in facilitating US military engagement in the region. Others consider it as a message for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), which has been locked in a stalemate with China over how to manage disputes in the South China Sea, [which Manila now refers to as the West Philippine Sea].

MANILA MUST AVOID SHARP FOREIGN POLICY SWINGS

14 April 2011, Manila Times

News coverage of Philippine foreign policy since the start of President Benigno Aquino 3rd’s administration appears to indicate an emphasis on the invigoration of strategic cooperation with the United States, in contrast to what had been portrayed as policy directions by the Arroyo government to warm up to China at some cost to erstwhile close ties with the United States.

Among the indications of the change in directions was the decision for the President to go to Washington for his first official visit, a departure from past practice where the first visit of the four preceding heads of state (starting with former President Corazon Aquino) was reserved for a neighboring state in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). Speaking before the Foreign Relations Council just before the Second US-Asean Summit in September

CHINA AND THE SOUTH CHINA SEA: TIME FOR A CODE OF CONDUCT? (RSIS Commentary)

RSIS COMMENTARY No. 91/2011, 14 June 2011

S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies

Synopsis
Recent incidents in the South China Sea point to China’s growing assertiveness and seeming readiness to pressure other countries to recognise its claims. The region urgently needs a Code of Conduct that is specifically designed for the prevention of armed conflict in the disputed areas.