Philippines avoids mentioning the East Sea to receive investment from China

This shows that the Philippines is temporarily putting aside issues related to the East Sea while the Southeast Asian country has an ambivalent attitude towards the current trade war and strategic disagreement between China and the US.

China and the Philippines are trying to build closer ties. Photo: Getty

While Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte tends to lean toward Beijing, his administration claims Manila pursues an “independent foreign policy” without depending on any major power.

The Philippines' ambivalent geopolitical stance toward China and the United States, its traditional defense ally, will be tested when the Chinese president visits Manila after attending the 2018 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Papua New Guinea in November.

Analysts say there could be progress in bilateral consultation mechanisms as well as energy development projects in the East Sea.

“The visit will strengthen the relationship between the Philippines and China. There will be more economic agreements and more cooperation. The Duterte government will take advantage of this because China can help alleviate the current inflation in the Philippines,” said Aries Arugay, a political science professor at the University of the Philippines-Diliman.

However, according to this expert, the issue related to the 2016 international arbitration court ruling on the East Sea will not be forgotten but only temporarily put aside.

Satellite image of Vanh Khan Reef in the Spratly Islands. Photo: AP

Meanwhile, analyst Anwita Basu from the Economist Intelligence Unit in Singapore said that the Chinese President's visit will be a "turning point" marking President Duterte's shift in foreign policy towards China.

Meanwhile, expert Aaron Rabena of the Philippine Council on Foreign Relations commented that the goal of both countries is to maintain a positive and constructive momentum because China does not want to be surrounded by hostile neighboring countries.

Referring to the relationship with the US, Luke Lischin, an expert on Southeast Asia at the National War College in Washington, commented that while the US focuses on military relations with the Philippines, the country has been silent about President Duterte's bloody war on drugs.

“The main failure of US Philippines policy is Washington’s lack of a positive vision for future bilateral cooperation,” Mr. Lischin shared.

However, on the Philippine side, views on the US remain positive. The results of a recent survey published by the Pew Research Center show that 77% of respondents in the Philippines support the US as a global leader, while only 12% of respondents prefer China./.