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By APD writer Melo M. Acuña
President Rodrigo Duterte said his government is expanding the horizons for Philippine diplomacy and supporting an open and inclusive regional order where the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) centrality has been an important component of the regional security architecture.
In a statement from the Presidential News Desk datelined Nonthaburi, Thailand, President Duterte said in his intervention that while the United States and China compete for supremacy in the Asia Pacific, it has continued to create intense rivalry and increased uncertainty in the region.
He added with these developments, ASEAN and the rest of the Asia Pacific region “are not, and should not be, mere spectators, or worse, pawns in a geopolitical chessboard.”
“ASEAN countries should have a say in the unfolding drama,” President Duterte explained.
“We are for an open and inclusive regional order where the rule of law reigns. And were ASEAN centrality is an essential component of the regional security architecture,” he said.
The Philippine leader explained his country is for cooperation and not zero-sum competition and will work closely with its friends within and outside the region including Japan, the Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, and the Republic of India to further strengthen its regional mechanism for peace and development.
He also called on the Philippines’ partners to respect whatever path each stakeholder will take.
With the ongoing competition between the United States and China, he praised them for their contributions to regional and global development.
The United States, he said, presided over the longest era of global peace and prosperity by building norms and institutions anchored on liberal principles and ideals, which also benefited his country.
Meanwhile, President Duterte said China’s ascent is equally remarkable as it has lifted millions of people out of extreme poverty and driven global economic growth. He also appealed to ASEAN’s partners to resist the temptation of using the erosion of trust to divide the region and prevent claimants in the South China Sea from reaching solutions that address their own interests and needs.
As ASEAN-China Country Coordinator, he said the Philippines will do its part to finish negotiations on a Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea at the soonest possible time.
He also warned against the ongoing trade war between China and the United States, which creates instability and the possible return of global protectionist policies.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)