GIVEN the exchange of strong words and threats between top officials of the Philippines and China since that June 17 incident, the feud bolstered further by intrusive comments from the Americans and Europeans who relished joining the fray, any opening of a sober and responsible initiative to ease the tension in the South China Sea should be a welcome development.
Peace-loving Filipinos are happy to hear the Department of Foreign Affairs’ announcement that a new mechanism that aims to improve the handling of maritime disputes between the Philippines and China has been established amid continuing maritime tension between the two countries.
It can be recalled that in January last year, Manila and Beijing struck a similar deal to establish a line of communication. The new mechanism will allow the presidential offices of the Philippines and China to directly reach out to each other through an emergency hotline.
The Philippines and China agreed during the recent meeting on the need to “restore trust” and “rebuild confidence” to better manage disputes.
‘Carpio is correct that the new channels of communications won’t resolve the SCS dispute, but at least confrontations that likely would be more violent next could be prevented.’
According to the DFA, the “Arrangement on Improving Philippines-China Maritime Communication Mechanisms” signed on July 2 would give both countries “several channels for communication to address maritime issues,” including one to be used by representatives designated by their leaders (Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Chinese President Xi Jin Ping), as well as officials of the foreign ministries of Manila and Beijing, including at the levels of the foreign minister or foreign secretary, or vice foreign minister or foreign undersecretary, or through their designated representatives.
Communication channels between the Philippine Coast Guard and China’s Coast Guard “will be set up once the corresponding memorandum of understanding between the Coast Guards is concluded,” according to the agreement.
Physical interaction and handshakes between Coast Guard leaders of both countries done at a proper venue on land, allowing both sides to know each other personally and engage in an intellectual discussion over the issues and their respective positions on them, should go a long way in preventing further misunderstandings. (Remember that Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin described the June 17 ramming incident, during which a Philippine Navy man lost a finger and the Chinese Coast Guard men confiscated the firearms of the Filipino security officers as just a “misunderstanding.”)
This same incident was condemned by several generals who are now asking President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to fire Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro in an open letter they sent to the commander-in-chief. The generals, both active and retired, claimed that Teodoro was grandstanding and was using the dispute in the West Philippine Sea for his own political ends. The defense secretary is reportedly running in the next senatorial elections in 2025.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian, asked about the agreement, told a briefing in Beijing that “China has always been committed to working with the Philippines to properly address maritime issues through dialogue and consultation.
Meanwhile, former associate justice Antonio Carpio expressed skepticism over the communication lines “because that will not resolve the dispute.
“We don’t know if they will answer when we call, so we will have to wait. It is good to have that but we should not expect miracles out of that,” he added.
There have been reports that the Chinese side did not pick up the phone when the Chinese Coast Guard blocked and used water cannons on a Philippine resupply mission to troops stationed at the grounded Philippine Navy ship BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal. This merits an investigation because China cited a previous agreement with the Philippines that they would be notified in advance for every resupply mission the Philippines would undertake, a fact that Bersamin even admitted in his recent press conference.
Carpio is correct that the new channels of communication won’t resolve the SCS dispute, but at least confrontations that likely would be more violent next could be prevented.
