Use 'quiet diplomacy' in territorial dispute with China - Joker
MANILA - The Philippine government should use “quiet diplomacy” in its territorial dispute with China, Senator Joker Arroyo said Sunday.
Quiet diplomacy, he said, is about resorting to informal backchannels using emissaries who have connections to Chinese leaders, and not make public the ugly discussions but only positive developments.
“This is a sensitive issue,” Arroyo said in his interview over dzBB. A quiet diplomacy “would avoid embarrassing anyone…We will not lose anything.”
He advised the “know-it-alls” in government to stop using “harsh words” when talking about the issue in public, and this would require “discipline” from the President and the President’s men.
He said President Benigno Aquino III’s pronouncement of de-escalation and keeping quiet about the issue is a step in the right direction.
Chinese media noted that Aquino’s statement saying the Philippines will allow the use of US spy planes naturally increases tension in the area.
Arroyo said the Philippines should “realize our limitations” because we “cannot win in an arms race with China.”
“Gusto mo ba arms race with China (Do we want an arms race with China)? How can we succeed?” he asked.
“We should know our limitations, our capabilities,” he added, noting that the Vice President of China, who is set to take over the helm of the government later this year, has alreaady spoken that China does not want an escalation in the region.At the same time, Arroyo said the Philippines cannot expect the United States to go to war with China over this dispute. He said the US won’t sacrifice its interest for the Philippines when US-Philippine trade volume is “not 1 percent of” US-China trade volume.
“Bakit sisirain ng Amerika ang relasyon nya sa China (Why would the US break off its relations with China)? They have a mutual need not to escalate the problem. Gusto nila ang comercio (They want trade),” he said.
“US cannot antagonize China. We cannot expect them to be at war with each other. We cannot expect America to come to our aid,” he added.
Citing its pullout from Iraq and Afghanistan and its refusal to go into Syria, Arroyo said the US is war-weary.
ASEAN is in a similar bind, Arroyo said. “ASEAN (member-countries) don’t want to make a statement supporting (the Philippines on the Scarborough standoff). They have their own problems with China. Why would they jeopardize their relations with China over the Philippines?” he asked.