Diplomacy as matter of state policy

President Duterte's state visit to Beijing will further improve our relations with China. Notwithstanding the landmark victory earned by our country from that historic judgment of the UN's Permanent Court of Arbitration on the dispute with China concerning the West Philippine Sea, the Duterte administration has opted to follow the path of diplomacy instead of confrontation. Well, this does not necessarily indicate that the government is softer on China. This is, in fact, the right thing to do. Under the Philippine Constitution, in its Declaration of Principles and state Policies, the Philippine renounces war as an instrument of national policy.

Well, we do renounce war, not only because the Constitution so provides. We simply cannot afford it, nor can a tiny and struggling nation, like ours, win against a superpower, the giant China, with more than one billion citizens to fight its war against us. The Constitution, aside from renouncing war, adopts the generally-accepted principles of international law as part of the law of the land. Our country also, by constitutional fiat, adheres to the policy of peace, equality, justice, freedom, cooperation, and amity with all nations. Thus, the only way is bilateral talks. The president, as the sole architect of Philippine policy, opts for diplomacy over confrontation.

The victory in the Hague, while indeed a very important one with far-reaching impact and implications, cannot be implemented without China's cooperation. Neither the United Nations nor the Permanent court of Arbitration have any coercive power to compel China to honor the ruling. There is no judicial nor administrative sheriff to enforce any writ of execution because the Court in Hague has no power to issue such a writ. What matters most is that the Philippines earned the respect of all civilized countries, members of the UN, relative to our exclusive economic zones, including those illegally occupied by China. By opting for diplomacy, we think that the president is on the right track.

One good and positive sign is that China manifests some softer stance viz-a-viz the Duterte administration, unlike its hardline attitude against the PNoy administration. One of the earliest foreign diplomats who went to Davao even before President Duterte was sworn into office was the ambassador from the Peoples' Republic of China. President Duterte has shown enough signals of openness to negotiate, and Beijing considers his attitude promising. Thus, the only way to go for the Philippine government is negotiation, and never confrontation. This state visit is a landmark step towards a diplomatic solution to the West Philippine sea standoff.

President Duterte has, in fact, sent former President FVR to act as a senior statesman and envoy to lead a bilateral series of talks with China. FVR has the stature and the competence to represent the Philippine interests in our negotiations with China.

FVR has the reputation, the skills, knowledge, and experience to head a diplomatic mission and forge a ''modus vivendi'' of ''live-and-let-live with the Chinese. His initial trip was a success. President Duterte's visit to China is the proper thing to do. What matters most is that at the end of the day, our people shall not be bullied for fishing inside our exclusive zones, and as a sovereign nation, the Philippines should be accorded appropriate respect and recognition.