THE incoming administration of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will pursue a “critical engagement” with China in connection with the territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea in the South China Sea, Marcos’ nominated national security adviser, Clarita Carlos, said yesterday.
“Critical engagement with China would be the way to go and President Marcos already noted that it will still be enhanced… on all levels,” Carlos said in an interview with GMA News’ “Unang Balita” program.
She said the engagement with China was among the issues she and Marcos discussed during their meeting on Wednesday, which resulted in her acceptance of the position of national security adviser.
Analysts see Marcos as more favorable to Beijing than Washington, but last month he said he would defend sovereign territory and stand up to Chinese encroachment, in his strongest comments yet on foreign policy.
Carlos, in an interview with radio dzBB, said critical engagement involves creating a holistic framework or approach in dealing with China. It would involve all aspects including political, economic, social, cultural.
“Critical engagement means you need to pay attention to all political, economic, social, cultural aspects of our relationship with China. Others only look at the economic, or defense or military aspects. With critical engagement, you will create a holistic framework,” she said in mixed Filipino and English.
Carlos said this approach will be also used when dealing with other countries.
Asked about China’s activities in the disputed territory, she said the incoming administration will sustain ongoing talks.
“Dalawa lang naman ang alternatibo mo: You continue to talk or you go to war. I am sure the other alternative hindi natin option yun. We continue to talk (You have only two alternatives: You continue to talk or you go to war. I am sure the other alternative is not our option. We continue to talk),” she said.
The Duterte government has been pursuing diplomatic talks with China on the disputed territory while strengthening other engagements and cooperation.
President Duterte has adopted an independent foreign policy in which the Philippines, he said, is a friend to all and enemy to no one, which resulted in stronger friendlier ties between Manila and Beijing.
Marcos, who officially assumes the presidency on June 30, yesterday met with
a top US official, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, underscoring efforts to preserve an alliance strained by Duterte’s animosity toward Washington and his embrace of Beijing.
“We discussed strengthening our longstanding alliance, expanding people-to-people ties, deepening our economic relationship, advancing human rights and preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Sherman said on Twitter.
Sherman is in Manila as part of her 10-day Asian visit that included stops in South Korea, Vietnam, and Laos.
Marcos has described the Philippines’ relationship with the US as special and “very important.” But his own relations with it are complicated by a contempt of court order for his refusal to co-operate with the District Court of Hawaii, which in 1995 ordered the Marcos family to pay $2 billion of plundered wealth to victims of his namesake father’s rule.
Marcos Jr. and his mother, Imelda Marcos, also face a $353 million fine.
Marcos has not visited the United States for 15 years.
The Philippines is a fulcrum of the geopolitical rivalry between the US and China. Though the Southeast Asian country has a defense treaty with the United States, their ties were left shaken by Duterte’s recent overtures to China.
The Philippines and China, despite warmer diplomatic ties, have clashed over overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea, a strategic waterway that sees about $3 trillion worth of trade pass through it every year.
Several countries including the US have raised concerns over what they see as China’s assertiveness in the region. — With Reuters
