Palace says US will side with PH in China conflict

Amid rising tension between Manila and Beijing over the Spratlys, President Aquino welcomes China’s Ambassador Liu Jianchao in Malacañang for the Independence Day vin d’honneur. MALACAÑANG PHOTO

Malacañang on Sunday expressed confidence the United States would side with the Philippines in its conflict with China over the disputed Spratly Islands—an assessment that Sen. Joker Arroyo described as “wishful thinking.”

Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. dismissed an Inquirer report quoting US Embassy spokesperson Rebecca Thompson that Washington does not take sides in regional disputes.

“Let me put it this way. We have a standing Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States. So the main relevant portion of that treaty is that the United States has been our ally and they will come, and we expect that they will be with us in any problem that will require their help,” Ochoa told reporters.

Arroyo said Malacañang should stop deluding itself that the United States would immediately come to the aid of the Philippines if it is invaded by another country.

The senator described as “toothless” the 1951 treaty between Manila and Washington, often invoked by Malacañang as a defense mechanism against invasion.

He pointed out that the defense treaty did not provide for an automatic retaliation by the United States, unlike Washington’s commitment with Nato.

This point, Arroyo said, had been “exposed by the great minds” in the past, like Claro M. Recto, Jose P. Laurel, Lorenzo Tañada Sr., Jose W. Diokno and Jovito Salonga.

“We should wake up and not indulge in wishful thinking,” he said in a phone interview.

After warning Manila against taking unilateral actions on Spratlys, Chinese Ambassador Liu Jianchao last week called on claimants to stop exploring the idea of exploiting resources in the area claimed by China without Beijing’s permission.

Liu’s comments were prompted by Manila’s charges of six intrusions by Chinese aircraft and vessels in Philippine territory near the Spratlys since February.

Arroyo also twitted Malacañang for letting President Aquino defend the government position on the Spratlys, instead of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

“With the President speaking, the country loses its power to maneuver, and boxes itself in, and the DFA, sphinx-like, does not talk,” he said.

Like China and the United States, the Philippines should speak on the matter through its ambassadors, or the DFA, Arroyo said.

“The DFA should get out of its shell, do its duty, and take the initiative to spell out the Philippine position. Only as a last resort should the President of the Philippines speak out on this crisis,” he said.

Demilitarization

Former President Fidel V. Ramos on Sunday called for the demilitarization of the Spratlys and turn to diplomacy as the means to resolve the dispute.

“The disputed area must be devoid of any military presence. Civilian developers jointly agreed to by claimants must take charge so we can get out the resources and use them in an environment-friendly manner so they will not be exhausted,” Ramos told reporters.

He said this could be set up under the United Nations and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

Otherwise, Ramos said the dispute could be resolved through the Declaration of Conduct of Parties to the South China Sea, which China and the Asean signed in 2002 to maintain the status quo over Spratlys.

The group of islets in the South China Sea, believed to be rich in oil and gas deposits, are claimed in whole by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, while portions are claimed by Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines.

Thompson’s statement last week did not surprise many members of the House of Representatives.

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said it was proper not to involve the United States at this point because the situation could still be solved diplomatically.

Belmonte said the best approach was to reach a common stand with other claimants against China.

Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez said he fully expected the US posture in any potential conflict not involving a crucial ally, such as Israel, Taiwan and South Korea.

“But I believe that in an open conflict, which is unlikely, the US would resort to gunboat diplomacy or, to be more precise, aircraft carrier diplomacy to make sure freedom of navigation is preserved,” Golez said.

He said the Philippines should be prepared to be alone in tackling the West Philippine Sea question as a diplomatic challenge, but it should also move to strike alliances with other countries that have been the victim of China’s aggression.

“We should use all international fora possible to project China as a misbehaving international bully. We should internationalize the issue in both official and unofficial channels. We can hurt China in an area where they are most vulnerable and where a credible attack can be launched and sustained: their international image,” Golez said.

Not right time for US

Muntinlupa City Rep. Rodolfo Biazon concurred that the United States would not be involved just yet.

Biazon said that unless China fired on the country’s troops or ships, it should remain neutral in the crisis.

But some lawmakers like Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone said that as the country’s ally, the United States should take a stand.

“We should question the United States why it chooses which part of our country is covered by the PH-US mutual defense treaty. The Spratlys are part of the Philippine territory therefore the United States should come to our defense in case of hostilities in the area,” Evardone said.

Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara said: “Many countries are similarly situated as us in having territory disputes with an increasingly aggressive China. I think it is time we seek the help of the United Nations for possible mediation.”

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said the Aquino administration should “reject any and all forms of US intervention” in the dispute, warning that the country’s long-time ally will just “take advantage of the situation” for its own benefit. With a report from Tarra Quismundo