‘PH wants China to act more responsibly’

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AN official of the Philippine Coast Guard said there are six “factors” for government’s recent decision to publicize China’s bullying in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) in the South China Sea, one of them is to force the Chinese to be more responsible in their behavior.

Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesman for the WPS and PCG adviser of the commandant for maritime security, talked about the factors in an article in The Diplomat, an international online news magazine, on Wednesday. The magazine said Tarriela’s views are his own and do not necessarily represent the stand of any institution.

“…(E)xposing China’s hostile actions in the South China Sea could compel it to act more responsibly and respect international law. By calling out its behavior, the international community can hold China accountable for its actions and potentially pressure it to change its approach,” said Tarriela of the fourth factor.

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In February, the PCG announced that the Marcos administration is shifting strategy in handling the dispute in the WPS, from the previous government’s stance to make public only “severe” incidents.

The PCG said it is going make public all cases of Chinese harassment and incursions in the WPS so the public will be aware of such incidents and so China will respond.

The PCG made the announcement after several incidents in the WPS, including when a China Coast Guard vessel pointed a military-grade laser at a Philippine Coast Guard vessel, causing caused temporary blindness of the crew members.

“While China may be uncomfortable with the attention every time incidents occur in the West Philippine Sea, Chinese officials always deny or downplay their involvement,” said Tarriela.

He said noted that the Chinese embassy in Manila has denied the use of military-grade laser.

“However, by continuing to document and publicize these incidents, the international community can build a strong case against China’s actions and potentially force it to alter its behavior,” said Tarriela.

TRANSPARENCY

Tarriela said the first factor in the policy shift was government’s “commitment to transparency and its resolve to protect the country’s sovereignty.”

The second, he said, is the need to raise public awareness and gather support for government.

“With limited information available about the situation in the South China Sea, fake news flooded social media platforms, creating a distorted narrative,” he said.

“This misinformation led many to believe that China was a ‘good friend’ and a ‘partner for peace and development’,” he said.

Tarriela said the third factor is to “gain support and solidarity from neighboring nations in Southeast Asia,” including Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei which are also claimants to the South China Sea.

“It is critical for these nations to recognize Beijing’s aggressive and intimidating behavior, as it will allow them to come together and jointly condemn it as a violation of international law,” said Tarriela.

“By standing in unison, these countries can send a powerful message to Beijing that such bullying actions will not be accepted and that they are committed to maintaining peace and stability in the region,” he added.

PATTERN

He said the fifth factor was the establishment of a “pattern, presenting its (government) lawful actions as routine.”

“Without adequate exposure, the initiatives taken by the Philippines may be depicted as unusual, leaving room for China to label them as ‘new’ and ‘provocative’ in the future” and it is “imperative to acknowledge that these missions are standard, acceptable, and legal.”

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“Neglecting to publicize the Philippines’ operations in this area can give China the upper hand in shaping the story and manipulating the situation to their benefit. Hence, it is essential to promote the activities of the PCG and AFP to combat any inaccurate narratives China that may later attempt to fabricate,” added Tarriela.

The sixth factor, Tarriela said, is to convey a message is that government “will not be cowed or coerced into submission.”

He said Philippines may not be a military and economic power like China but said “it will not sit idly by and let China bully its way through the Philippines’ EEZ (exclusive economic zone).”

“By shedding light on China’s aggressive behavior, the Philippines hopes to garner support from other nations that believe in a rules-based international order,” he said.

Tarriela said it would be “akin to surrendering to China’s dominance” if Philippine fails to expose what he called as “China’s bullying tactics.”

He said that while there is “progress” in exposing Chinese aggression in the WPS, there is a need to bolster maritime domain awareness capabilities of both the PCG and the Armed Forces.

“Without the necessary technological infrastructure to monitor the vast expanse of its maritime territories, the Philippines would be unable to effectively monitor developments in real-time,” he said.

Tarriela said President Marcos Jr may not have the same “military power” that his father, former President Ferdinand Marcos, enjoyed during his presidency “but his (President Marcos Jr) government’s approach to sharing factual events and real stories is a more powerful way to muster support — not just from the Filipino people but from other countries also.”

“The publication of China’s blatant disregard of international law and harassment of lowly Filipino fishermen dismisses Beijing’s claim that it supports peace and stability in the region. This approach is a way to hold China accountable for its actions and send a message that the Philippines will not back down in the face of Chinese aggression,” said Tarriela.

MEETING

Senate deputy minority leader Risa Hontiveros yesterday a planned meeting between President Marcos Jr and Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian is “good” but believes nothing was “lost in translation” in connection with the envoy’s remarks on overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Taiwan.

In a statement, Hontiveros said that Huang clearly stated what he has to state when he “advised” Manila to oppose “Taiwan independence” if it genuinely cares about the 150,000 Filipinos working the island nation.

“He delivered the speech (at a forum) in English and the threat to us was very clear, and that he seems to dictate on the Philippines on what should be our position. He also seems to meddle even in the self-determination of Taiwan that even us Filipinos do not interfere in that issue because it is a concern of the Taiwanese people,” she said in Filipino.

President Marcos on Wednesday said he will talk with Huang in the wake of the envoy’s remarks over the United States’ expanded access to Philippine military bases under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

“I’ll be talking to the Ambassador soon… I’m sure he’ll be very anxious to give his own interpretation of what he was trying to say… We were all a little surprised, but I just put it down to the difference in language,” Marcos said.

“English is not his first language, but I’m very interested to know what it is that he meant,” the President added.

While it is good to talk to Huang, Hontiveros said, the remark was not said in Mandarin or any other Chinese language which may have missing meaning when translated in English.

She said Huang was in no position to threaten OFWs who are quietly working in Taiwan. — With Raymond Africa

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