Philippine president dispatches loose cannon to Beijing, gets wounded
President Benigno S. Aquino III
is enjoying a surge of popularity at home, with a 78 percent approval rating
against only 4 percent negatives, but his latest foray into foreign policy and
relations with China has made the Philippines look silly abroad.
The gambit has also shown some of
its politicians to be more interested in domestic political games than in
seriously representing the nation in dealings with its giant neighbor. It also
suggests that Aquino is two-faced about the seas issues, claiming to take a
tough line to defend Philippine waters while cozying up to those wanting peace
with China at any price.
In an attempt to calm relations
with Beijing in the wake of China’s effective seizure of the Scarborough
(Panatag) shoal, which lies 120 miles off the coast of Luzon, and deny its rich
fishing grounds to Philippine fishing boats Aquino decided on a back-door approach.
But instead of entrusting this mission to a seasoned diplomat, or even a
well-regarded politician he somehow chose Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, a
41-year-old first-term senator who is better known for having led a failed coup
attempt in 2003 against then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Trillanes, then
a senior grade lieutenant, led 321 soldiers to take control of the Oakwood
Towers in Makati City to protest government graft and corruption. He was
detained after the mutiny was quelled and spent seven years in prison.
Trillanes claimed to have very
good contacts in China, although why that should be has not been explained.
However he was given the imprimatur as the President’s back-channel envoy and
dispatched to Beijing in August. Despite his lack of proven credentials, the
naïve Aquino had been listening to Trillanes for several months and allowed him
to go despite knowing that the senator, who was the first lawmaker eve to be
elected from his jail cell, was known to be hostile to Foreign Minister Albert
del Rosario. He had been quoted in July as saying that Rosario was a “war
freak” anxious to obtain US help and thereby worsen relations with China.
Once in Beijing, according to
notes of a meeting with him believed taken by Sonia Brady, the Philippine
ambassador to China, Trillanes appeared to act more as a Manchurian candidate
than an envoy trying to smooth relations with China without compromising the
Philippine stance on the shoal, which lies well within the Philippines
Exclusive Economic Zone. He expressed strong disagreement with Philippine
official policy.
Trillanes thus completely
undercut the role of Foreign Minister del Rosario who complained that back
channeling could be useful in some circumstances but in this case was
counterproductive. Del Rosario was forced to defend himself publicly against
Trillanes and got no support from Aquino, who kept quiet about the whole mess
he created.
Malacanang suggested the fuss was
mainly a feud between senators, with Senator Juan Ponce Enrile accusing
Trillanes of being a traitor.
Trillanes then attacked Manuel
Pangilinan, one of the country’s top businessmen, for allegedly encouraging
closer US involvement, fanning del Rosario’s alleged anti-China stance and
having ulterior motives relating to oil interests on the Recto bank.
Pangilinan was naturally
infuriated and threatened to move his operations to Hong Kong, where his First
Pacific is a major investment management and holding company with operations in
telecommunications, infrastructure, food products and natural resources.
Aquino himself tried and failed
to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao at the recent APEC summit in Vladivostok,
hoping to discuss the jurisdiction issue but in the wider context of
China-Philippine relations.
So now, in the wake of the
Trillanes mess, Aquino has had to send Interior Secretary and former Senator
Mar Roxas as his special envoy to meet Xi Jinping, President Hu’s
heir-apparent.
But the whole episode has shown
that while Aquino may be honest and likable his judgments of people and issues
leaves much to be desired. And it shows how China must see the Philippines as a
pushover, with nationalist rhetoric always undercut by politicians with
pecuniary or political interests which transcend the national interest.
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Strategy, Investment and Management, focusing Healthcare and Life Science with expertise in ASEAN. Since we are currently changing the platform of www.yourvietnamexpert.com, you may contact us at: sbc.pte@gmail.com, provisionally. Many thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment