"Why are we so deferential to the Chinese?"
"Why are we so deferential to the Chinese?"
Chinese warships are again in our territorial waters. They were sighted on the Pacific side of Davao. The Department of National Defense said they were survey ships possibly plumbing the ocean depth for oil, gas and minerals. This is a serious breach of the Philippines’ 200-mile exclusive economic zone under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
As usual, the Department of Foreign Affairs said it would file a diplomatic protest against China through its embassy in Manila. Expect the Chinese Embassy to ignore the protest or answer it in a most dismissive manner. Why? Because our diplomatic protest lacks the verve. It’s like challenging someone to a duel with swords at 10 paces.
A diplomatic protest is a form of weapon in diplomacy when the host government is not pleased with the actuation if the foreign government or its ambassador committed a brazen act against diplomatic protocol that he is declared persona non grata.
Why are we so deferential to the Chinese ambassador? Is it because President Rodrigo Duterte is a close friend of Xi Jinping?
President Duterte is making another trip to China. Will he talk about the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling that is favorable to the Philippines? Other Asean countries with conflicting claims in the South China Sea is closely watching the Philippines-China talk.
So are Filipinos who want to see Digong get out of Xi’s embrace and assert the country’s sovereignty.
Duterte is halfway into his six-year term. Will he make up for past mistakes to leave a legacy for which the people will remember him well?
I for one would like to see Duterte succeed in the next three years. He is after all the first local official—as Davao City mayor—to make it all the way to the presidency. Usually in this country, presidential timber come from the Senate. Hence, we had the likes of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Joseph Estrada and Noynoy Aquino.
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In the United States, more than 20 candidates from the Democratic party debated nationwide. The US has yet to elect its first woman president. Watching the women debate gave me sense that US will finally have its first woman president, as it did when it elected John F. Kennedy its first Catholic president and Barack Obama first black president.
Giving the Democrats a lift to win is President Donald Trump’s contentious policy on immigration and trade barriers.
