Those trips count

Maritime clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels have become more frequent in recent months.

Who says President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is wasting time and the people’s money on his 22 foreign trips thus far?

Certainly, not the largely conservative The New York Times, which recently credited PBBM’s visits to Western nations with building a strong network of alliances in the country’s face-off with China.

In a full-length report on the ongoing conflict in the West Philippine Sea, NYT views PBBM’s diplomatic efforts in his first year as responsible for beefing up Manila’s alliance with its oldest ally, the United States.

“Now he is shoring up support from a wider and new network of partners,” the NYT said.

His latest visit to European nations Germany and the Czech Republic was described as having added “a new intensity to his muscular foreign policy at a critical moment in his country’s territorial dispute with Beijing.”

Maritime clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels have recently become more frequent.

Detractors have been tearing apart PBBM, saying that he has neglected the nation’s welfare by frequently being away from home, but the report painted his efforts as responsible for securing strong support in the otherwise lopsided confrontation with China.

In January, PBBM and the leader of Vietnam, another country fighting off Chinese claims to the crucial waterway, pledged closer cooperation between their coast guards.

“This month, Mr. Marcos clinched a maritime cooperation deal with Australia. And this past week, he took his pitch to Europe,” NYT reported.

He has had success in impressing upon them that keeping the maritime order is beyond the Philippines’ interest.

PBBM indicated during his address in Berlin that since 60 percent of global trade transits through the WPS, it is not solely in the interest of the Philippines but the entire world.

The imagery of PBBM standing with Western allies sends a strong message to China.

“This flurry of diplomacy, analysts said, might ultimately help to deter China,” according to the NYT.

“But they also acknowledged that Beijing was going to continue doubling down on its territorial claims, increasing the risks of a conflict that could ultimately draw in the United States, the Philippines’ oldest treaty ally,” the report added.

It also cited Washington’s condemnation of Beijing’s actions and the US government’s commitment to come to the aid of Manila in the event of an armed conflict.

Also mentioned in the NYT report was that the foreign policy strategy adopted by PBBM was the opposite of the approach of his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte.

“While Mr. Duterte spurned the West and courted China, Mr. Marcos has revived and cemented ties with traditional security partners like the United States and Japan. He has also cultivated new relations with Sweden and France, and his government has pushed for arms deals and military drills.”

Moreover, according to analysts, the new alliances would backstop support for the Philippines in the event of changes in the US political landscape.

The report cited perspectives that the Philippines cannot rely on the United States alone, “especially if former President Donald J. Trump returns to power next year.”

The unstable political outlook in the superpower brings global uncertainty, which is critical for the Philippines since it was during the initial Trump term that China launched its massive buildup of structures in the WPS.

Another aspect of the broader alliance is blunting the Chinese economic pressure on the Philippines.

In the unlikely event that China imposes economic sanctions on the Philippines, its diversified trade with Western countries would reduce the impact despite Beijing being a major economic partner.

The NYT added: “India, which has been silent on the sea dispute for years, announced last June that it would provide loans with preferential rates to the Philippines for its military modernization.”

In August, both countries signed cooperation agreements in the coast guard sector.

An impartial view indicated the trips serve a purpose, confounding the legions of loudmouths who appear to be serving the interest of the country’s WPS rival.

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Credit belongs to: tribune.net.ph