Gains outweigh differences

“The contending parties have created a parallel track for the economy and diplomacy in that the two issues develop independently of each other.

In the dialogues between Chinese and Philippine officials, the guiding principle is the oft-repeated credo that “differences are not the total of relations.”

This has worked well as a guidepost while the territorial conflict increasingly becomes a complicated issue.

As the situation in the region heats up, economic ties remain in constant flow that has even progressed with the start of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP, which is now the biggest economic bloc in the world.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. even indicated that the ties with China had improved, during his January visit to Beijing in which the West Philippine Sea disputes took a back seat.

The contending parties have created a parallel track for the economy and diplomacy in that the two issues develop independently of each other.

Taking a similar track was how China was able to achieve the paradox of a socialist political order while its economy exploded through capitalism.

Marcos had recognized the logic of a twin approach that keeps relations warm despite the divergence.

During his January visit to Beijing, the Chief Executive said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping had committed to work for ways “to move forward, to avoid possible mistakes, misunderstandings that could trigger a bigger problem than we already have.”

Marcos raised to Xi the case of Filipino fishermen who had been denied access to their traditional fishing areas by China’s navy and coast guard.

Xi promised BBM “a compromise that will be beneficial.”

Marcos described the evolving deal with China as similar to what the country has with the US.

Trade with the United States has grown due to preferential tariffs instead of direct aid.

Maintaining such a relationship allows both China and the Philippines to avoid the “elephant in the room,” which is the heightened maritime conflict. A stable relationship with Beijing then becomes possible while still protecting the interests of the Philippines.

Marcos said the key is keeping the lines of communication open.

Thus, it will deter “unfortunate incidents that we see, such as blocking our fishermen from our fishing grounds, and intimidation of our maritime forces.”

A main component of the mechanism with China is a hotline between both Presidents which he said both sides were “still working on.”

“As long as we continue to engage all our partners, not only China, in an open, available system to communicate, provoking a more serious situation than it already is now can be avoided,” according to the President.

China remains the biggest trading partner of the Philippines as a result of shared interests in business. In  several cases, both countries are intricately linked mainly because of the low prices of Chinese manufactured imports and a huge export market that beats the United States due to its proximity.

In 2022 alone, the trade volume between both countries reached $87.7 billion.

China and the Philippines share an interest in expanding ties.

The imperative of close relations is also the consequence of the complementing quality of the workforce in which China’s population is fast aging with a median age of 38.4 compared to the Philippines’ 25.7 years.

The country’s demographic sweet spot translates to a likely source for the dwindling number of workers of the giant economy.

In terms of both countries’ development, the deepening relationship with China outweighs the two nations’ differences.

*****
Credit belongs to : https://tribune.net.ph