APD | Philippines stands to gain from closer relations with China

By APD writer Melo M. Acuña

British author Martin Jacques said the Philippines and China greatly improved under President Rodrigo Duterte.

In an exclusive interview after his lecture sponsored by the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel, this city, the 73-year old author of the best-selling “When China Rules the World” published in 2009, he said most ASEAN countries are pro-active in dealing with China as they have recognized the country of 1.3 billion as an economic power.

“The Philippines was dragging its feet in its dealings with China during the time of then President Aquino thereby making its growth rate mediocre,” he said. He explained the Philippines was used as proxy for the United States on issues affecting the region.

Asked why most Filipinos doubt China’s sincerity in its dealings with the Philippines, Jacques said he is aware of the people’s attachment to the United States for historical and cultural reasons with over four million Filipino-Americans. Filipinos in the Unites States also send the biggest share in foreign remittances to the Philippines.

However, he added other ASEAN countries have moved closer to China and while Singapore was known to have been pro-American, it is becoming more neutral.

He added China has become a significant trade partner of the Philippines from its agricultural products and tourist arrivals.

“The relations between ASEAN and China has been troubled by issues about the South China Sea and the formulation of the Code of Conduct would help,” he said.

In his presentation earlier, Jacques said in 2013, China only had 2 companies in the top 20 Internet users. However, in 2018, while the United States had 11, China already had nine companies including Alibaba, Tencent, Ant Financial, Baidu, and Xiaomi among others.

He added the Belt and Road Initiative has already made its mark in a number of Asian, Central Asian, South Asian, African and European nations.

On the prevailing trade war, Jacques said the United States of America takes a long time to realize that China is the world’s rising power.

With the ongoing trade war, Jacques said one can’t rule out armed confrontation but having nuclear weapons involved, such a scenario could be avoided as China does not possess expansionist tendencies as the United States and the Soviet Union.

“President Trump is a very odd kind of politician, some kind of leader that China is unfamiliar with as it tries to find a way to respond and the situation is not too easy as it was two or three years ago,” Jacques said.

Meanwhile, asked about issues raised concerning the Freedom of Navigation and Overflight over the South China Sea, Jacques said it is the United States is behind it.

He said he believes China will not restrict the movement of cargoes within the South China Sea as it is dependent on the sea lanes for their fuel requirements from the Middle East.

“What is the US Seventh Fleet doing in the South China Sea anyway,” Jacques concluded.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)