We do not live by China’s bread alone

I discern that economics is an argument raised by China defenders in the ongoing Philippine-China tiff over the West Philippine Sea (WPS). Accordingly, we should rather adopt a stand to go back to bilateral talks with the Chinese instead of relying quite heavily on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA). Allow me to look at the situation in as simple presentation as my ordinary mind can understand, speaking shorn of legal gobbledygook and devoid of fanciful diplomatic jargon.

Let us remember firstly that this so-called dispute over the WPS evolved from a nine-dash line map drawn by Communist China. This map, claimed by China to be historically based, would make the WPS mainly a part of Chinese territory. But, secondly, in July 2016, in a case filed with the international arbitral tribunal during the administration of the late president Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Cojuangco Aquino, the PCA ruled that the Chinese nine-dash line has no legal and historical basis and that the WPS is within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Even if China is a signatory of the UNCLOS, it does not respect the PCA decision. With its superior force, it has invaded the WPS and occupied some of its portions. Do we recall that in 1995 China admitted putting up structures on the Panganiban Reef, octagonal huts on stilts were merely temporary shelters for fishermen? Do we know that China transformed this atoll through massive land reclamation into a fortified artificial island featuring a nearly three-kilometer concrete runway, military barracks, radomes, and naval/radar infrastructure? Yes, China has, in fact, established military facilities in seven of these WPS areas as it continues to let its maritime assets sail over our EEZ.

The Philippines invokes international law and the PCA decision as we continue to assert our territorial sovereignty over the WPS. It was reported though that the former President Rodrigo Duterte signed some papers with China that would diminish the legal impact of the PCA ruling although until today that supposed document is not available for scrutiny. It appeared to me that while China continues to violate our territorial sovereignty over the EEZ, there were reported talks between China and the Philippines on how to resolve the dispute. These talks are now dead in the water. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro is clear in carrying the Philippine stand. It is difficult to talk with China because this communist state has trust issues.

Then, reports are beginning to surface that China is preparing a set of economic sanctions against the Philippines for our refusal to go back to bilateral talks. Here is what I got from the internet. “Senator Robin Padilla emphasized that the Philippines' relationship with China is fundamentally about the economy and long-standing trade ties, arguing that the country should stay open to dialogue, cooperation, and investment rather than continuously escalating conflict.”

In my earnest search to find some sound philosophical basis to support the call of Sen. Padilla, I came instead upon a hymn written by James Montgomery in 1825. A part of it says: “We would not live by bread alone, But by the word of Grace”. It is titled Shepherds of Soul. Apart from its biblical consideration, it has practical application to our conflict with China. We should not be bamboozled by the communists into going back to bilateral talks (which is actually grossly one-sided in favor of China) by threats of economic sanctions. Our national dignity and territorial sovereignty cannot be traded away for investments. Indeed, we must prioritize the grace our sovereignty (and international law) over China’s bread.

BLURB:

“We should not be bamboozled by the communists into going back to bilateral talks by threats of economic sanctions.”