MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino believes his successor Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is a “patriot” who will do “what is best for our country” in resolving its maritime row with China.
The President voiced his opinion in an interview with the New York Times on Thursday in Malacañang.
Aquino, when asked about perceived policy differences with Duterte over China, said the incoming president would be given facts and other information to review upon assuming office.
Duterte is seen to be softer on China as shown by his willingness to try Beijing’s tack of resolving the sea dispute through bilateral talks.
Asked about his strong stance against China, Aquino said in a separate interview with Time magazine on the same day in the Palace that defending the country’s territory and sovereignty is the right thing to do.
“I try to put myself in others’ shoes: how does any country give up any sovereignty and expect to survive as a government? I don’t think that any Philippine president, or any leader for that matter, can afford to give up any portion of territorial sovereignty. That would be political suicide,” he told Time.
“Now you have the phenomenon of (China) creating islands that did not exist. I think at the very least, (Beijing) cares about international opinion. The idea that anytime there’s a particular issue in the West Philippine Sea, (there is) a more rigid inspection of our bananas, that has prompted us to insulate ourselves from more interaction with (China). And I’m sure a lot of other countries are wondering, will this ever befall us, will this limit our ability to chart our own course? If China’s growth has been fueled primarily by the export-driven model for such a long time, (for) continual growth, they will need positive goodwill from the rest of the world,” Aquino said.
The President said China bullied the Philippines on several instances presumably because the latter has a weaker economy.
But he said he was grateful for the support the Philippines has received from fellow Association of Southeast Asian Nations member-countries in dealing with the problem.
“How do we match them economically? We were considered the ‘sick man of Asia.’ What is heartening is that more and more of our colleagues in ASEAN see that they are trampling on the rights of one (and that) leads to the condition that everyone’s rights can be trampled on,” Aquino said.
“So you have stronger and stronger statements from ASEAN, and we are gladdened by that. (Now ASEAN countries) are more engaged with China, but they felt compelled to say to China that right is right and wrong is wrong,” he added.
Asked if the United States may have spoken too late on the South China Sea issue or conducted freedom of navigation operations (FONOPs) not early enough, Aquino said: “Well, in terms of FONOPs, better late than never.”
“I’ve talked to so many people, so many institutions about how China works. When you talk to the (Chinese) foreign ministry, they tend to say a certain thing, when you speak to the central government, it seems like they’re not talking from the same page, or they are the extreme pages of the music sheet,” Aquino said.
“Should we push? There is a theory that China will tend to push and if you bend, they will push some more. So we’ve had to weigh so many things. How to not exacerbate the situation. How do you give them enough room so that the idea of loss of face does not happen? It’s a work in progress,” Aquino stressed.
The Philippines has turned to arbitration to settle the dispute peacefully and diplomatically. The move has the support of a majority of Filipinos based on surveys.
Asked how it was being caught between two super powers such as China and the US, Aquino replied: “At least, there are certain fundamentals (the Philippines shares with the US).”
“Strategic partnership is based on a shared set of values. We are supposed to talk as allies, as opposed to just following orders. Not to single out China but in their system, it is the (communist) party that is first and foremost. Our armed services are there to protect our people. In China it’s defined as to protect the party,” Aquino said.