Shared values

The buzz in local Chinese circles is that the seeds of doubt have been planted in Beijing officialdom over the sincerity of the friendship proffered by a new ally.

This is the problem when pursuing a so-called independent foreign policy – whatever this means in a globalized environment where alliances are inevitable. George W. Bush and Benito Mussolini aren’t the only believers in “either you’re with us or you’re against us.”

President Duterte’s blabbing about what he discussed with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, according to the grapevine, has reinforced perceptions in Beijing that Du30 should be kept at arm’s length even while shaking his hand.

The reason that conversation in Beijing between the two presidents was “frank” (as described by Philippine officials) was that the Chinese thought what was discussed would remain confidential. Otherwise, a joint statement would have been issued or a joint press conference held, either by the two leaders or at least their ministers, so details of the meeting could be made public.

But as I have written, it looks like Du30 was in a snit over Xi’s threat of war and deliberately announced what was discussed.

Now that both sides have bared their fangs amid the friendly grins, Du30 is reportedly starting to be described by his newfound allies as “two-faced.”

This perception will be reinforced when he again visits Japan, another country that he likes for knowing how to keep its nose out of the Philippines’ internal affairs. Japan and China are the principal rivals in Asia; they have fought each other in wars, and remain locked in a maritime dispute.

  *      *      *

Duterte can be on more solid ground in his foreign policy if he forges alliances based on shared values rather than which country is staying out of his business or which one can provide development aid “without conditionalities” (if such a creature exists).

Alliances based on shared values provide consistency and a principled stand that friends won’t interpret as being “two-faced.”

The Philippines under Dirty Rody does share something in common with his preferred allies China and Russia: all three countries are no champions of human rights as defined by the United Nations-approved universal declaration.

But the nation’s values are not defined by any particular Philippine president; these are values enshrined in the Constitution. Even if Duterte’s allies finally get Charter change going, I haven’t heard any lawmaker proposing to alter or diminish the values set out in the so-called Freedom Constitution, which uphold civil liberties and democratic principles.

The values are also enshrined in international treaties and other agreements that the Philippines has signed, ratified and committed to uphold.

If all that Duterte wants from allies is mutual respect and non-interference in Philippine internal affairs, he can pursue this without losing sight of the values held dear in our democratic republic.

It’s good to mend relations with China and strengthen ties with Russia, but we must not lose sight of the fact that there are other democracies with which we can forge closer alliances. In Asia, we have Japan, South Korea and India. Japan and South Korea are among the largest sources of official development assistance for the Philippines. India is pursuing closer security alliances in Southeast Asia.

  *      *      *

As for our treaty ally the United States, it’s good that President Donald Trump has hit it off with President Duterte. Everything is personal with the Philippine Chief Executive. But Duterte is not about to get over his belief that Washington still treats the Philippines as a colonial outpost whose leader can be scolded and told what to do.

US officials have maintained that bilateral ties, always complicated between a former colonizer and the colonized, have matured and Washington no longer interferes in Philippine internal affairs.

It probably needed a Rodrigo Duterte to show up this assessment as overly rosy. Rude Rody, the guy who by some accounts was once denied a US visa because of his human rights record, won an overwhelming mandate to lead, and he wants respect befitting the office if not the person. This, of course, is easier said than done, and old habits can die hard especially in Washington.

So last year a State Department official, considered by Du30 as an insignificant factotum, told a press briefing in Washington that, yes, then president Barack Obama intended to take up the drug killings and other human rights issues during a scheduled meeting with Duterte on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Obama, the US official said, would not hold his punches.

The statement was made in response to a journalist’s question. The Chinese, Japanese, Singaporeans and South Koreans would have fielded it in a way that Duterte would have appreciated as treatment among equals.

Duterte responded with a hail of profanities, prompting Obama to cancel the meeting. It elicited more expletives from Rude Rody, this time heaped directly on his US counterpart.

What followed was the pivot to China. Duterte is not about to change course at this point, regardless of his open admiration for Trump’s billions, position and first lady.

  *      *      *

Now Duterte is in Russia, in what is seen as yet another poke at Washington’s eye.

Improving ties with Russia is a good move; we must be friends with everybody. But even Duterte must realize that Pinoys are not about to embrace the Russian bear in the same way as Uncle Sam and Hollywood.

The first barrier is language. Traveling alone and setting foot for the first time in Moscow some years ago, I approached a uniformed guy who looked like a member of airport security and asked where I could get a taxi to the city center. There were no signs in English and I don’t have even a rudimentary grasp of Cyrillic.

He glared down at me (he looked seven feet tall) and said curtly, “I don’t speak English.” Then he looked away. That was my unforgettable welcome to Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

Duterte has said Putin is his “idol” so the two are off to a good start.

During Duterte’s trip, both sides have expressed hope that the two countries will have a better understanding of each other’s cultures. It’s a good objective; great works of art have emerged from Russia and the country has a rich heritage. Filipinos can identify with Russian tragedies and triumphs in its tumultuous past.

Identifying with today’s Russia is a different story. President Duterte, however, will undoubtedly have no problem with this. He and Putin have shared values.