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2015-08-27
Of the 51 heads of state that Beijing invited to its military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day, only those of Japan and Philippines have declined, according to a source cited by Duowei News, a media outlet run by overseas Chinese.
The move by Manila is not very surprising given recent tensions over territorial disputes in the South China Sea, with the Philippines challenging Beijing's nine-dash line claim over almost the entirety of the South China Sea in a case pending at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague.
Shortly after the news of the rebuff emerged, Chinese media reported that Manila was planning to issue a new map which includes the disputed Scarborough Shoal — known as Huangyan island in China and as Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines — as Philippine territory. Despite the Chinese attempt to portray this as a new development, the Philippines states that it has asserted its sovereignty over the shoal since its independence. The Philippine Star article to which the Duowei article referred in fact discussed the issuing of a new map by the Commission on the Filipino Language that will use the historic Spanish and Tagalog names for disputed islands in the South China Sea.
The Philippine Star article cited the chair of the commission, Virgilio Almario, as stating that Beijing uses Chinese names for the islands to emphasize their territorial claim. Almario added, "If I would be able to do it my way, I would look for the original name of some of these islands so that we would be using their real names. For instance, the Scarborough Shoal, who would believe that it is owned by the Philippines [...] They have native names so we should do research."
Xu Liping, a senior researcher at the Global Strategy Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, blasted the move as without legal basis given that earlier official maps of the Philippines had not included the shoal as Philippine territory. By "earlier official maps," Xu was likely referring to a 1978 map issued by the Philippine National Mapping and Resource Information Authority, which did not include the shoal in Philippine territory. 18th century maps published by Spain and 20th century maps published by the US, however, did show the shoal as Philippine territory and in 1997 a bilateral dispute erupted over its sovereignty, belying Xu's reductionist view of the dispute.
An Aug. 25 report in Philippine-based Chinese-language paper Shangbao stated that a Philippine organization in the US, US-Pinoys for Good Governance, has suggested that eco-tourism resorts should be established on the Spratly islands, which China also claims in their entirety, while Taiwan, Vietnam, Malysia and Brunei also stake claims. A representative from the organization, Eric Lachica, said eco-tourism was the best way to resolve the territorial dispute over the islands.
Lachica said that he came up with the solution after meeting with the mayor of Kalayaan, Eugenio B Bito-Onon Jr. Kalayaan is the municipality comprising the islands and reefs of the Spratly archipelago that are currently controlled by the Philippines. Lachica called for the Presidential Office to support the proposal, which would include Thitu island, known in China as Zhongye island and in the Philippines as Pagasa.
Xu Liping criticized the proposal, stating that it was an attempt by the Philippines to establish a legal claim to the island group and to cloud the sovereignty issue.
Anti-China sentiment in the Philippines predates the US "pivot to Asia" policy, as back in the second half of 2007 several cooperation pacts signed between China and the Philippines when then president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was in power met opposition from the Philippine parliament. Arroyo's friendliness with China and her successor Benigno Aquino's hostility to China both have their roots in domestic politics. Arroyo visited China 15 times from 2001-2009 and between 2001 and 2007 she signed 65 cooperative agreements with Beijing.
However, many scholars in the Philippines have a different version of events, with many stating that due to the cloud of corruption hovering over Arroyo, her pro-China stance had an extremely negative impact on popular attitudes towards China in the Philippines and this tainted the cooperative agreements with which she was associated. She stood accused of selling off Philippine sovereignty in exchange for Chinese loans, according to the experts cited by Duowei.
Aquino ran on an anti-corruption platform in the 2010 election, prompting him to take a hard-line stance on territorial issues in the South China Sea and to seek military support from the US to differentiate himself from his predecessor.
Although Aquino is barred from seeking reelection next year, the anti-China sentiment in the country will likely take a long time to subside, thanks in part to Arroyo's legacy and also due to US pressure to contain China, according to Duowei.
Philippines turns down invite to Beijing's V-J Day parade
Of the 51 heads of state that Beijing invited to its military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day, only those of Japan and Philippines have declined, according to a source cited by Duowei News, a media outlet run by overseas Chinese.
The move by Manila is not very surprising given recent tensions over territorial disputes in the South China Sea, with the Philippines challenging Beijing's nine-dash line claim over almost the entirety of the South China Sea in a case pending at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague.
Shortly after the news of the rebuff emerged, Chinese media reported that Manila was planning to issue a new map which includes the disputed Scarborough Shoal — known as Huangyan island in China and as Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines — as Philippine territory. Despite the Chinese attempt to portray this as a new development, the Philippines states that it has asserted its sovereignty over the shoal since its independence. The Philippine Star article to which the Duowei article referred in fact discussed the issuing of a new map by the Commission on the Filipino Language that will use the historic Spanish and Tagalog names for disputed islands in the South China Sea.
The Philippine Star article cited the chair of the commission, Virgilio Almario, as stating that Beijing uses Chinese names for the islands to emphasize their territorial claim. Almario added, "If I would be able to do it my way, I would look for the original name of some of these islands so that we would be using their real names. For instance, the Scarborough Shoal, who would believe that it is owned by the Philippines [...] They have native names so we should do research."
Xu Liping, a senior researcher at the Global Strategy Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, blasted the move as without legal basis given that earlier official maps of the Philippines had not included the shoal as Philippine territory. By "earlier official maps," Xu was likely referring to a 1978 map issued by the Philippine National Mapping and Resource Information Authority, which did not include the shoal in Philippine territory. 18th century maps published by Spain and 20th century maps published by the US, however, did show the shoal as Philippine territory and in 1997 a bilateral dispute erupted over its sovereignty, belying Xu's reductionist view of the dispute.
An Aug. 25 report in Philippine-based Chinese-language paper Shangbao stated that a Philippine organization in the US, US-Pinoys for Good Governance, has suggested that eco-tourism resorts should be established on the Spratly islands, which China also claims in their entirety, while Taiwan, Vietnam, Malysia and Brunei also stake claims. A representative from the organization, Eric Lachica, said eco-tourism was the best way to resolve the territorial dispute over the islands.
Lachica said that he came up with the solution after meeting with the mayor of Kalayaan, Eugenio B Bito-Onon Jr. Kalayaan is the municipality comprising the islands and reefs of the Spratly archipelago that are currently controlled by the Philippines. Lachica called for the Presidential Office to support the proposal, which would include Thitu island, known in China as Zhongye island and in the Philippines as Pagasa.
Xu Liping criticized the proposal, stating that it was an attempt by the Philippines to establish a legal claim to the island group and to cloud the sovereignty issue.
Anti-China sentiment in the Philippines predates the US "pivot to Asia" policy, as back in the second half of 2007 several cooperation pacts signed between China and the Philippines when then president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was in power met opposition from the Philippine parliament. Arroyo's friendliness with China and her successor Benigno Aquino's hostility to China both have their roots in domestic politics. Arroyo visited China 15 times from 2001-2009 and between 2001 and 2007 she signed 65 cooperative agreements with Beijing.
However, many scholars in the Philippines have a different version of events, with many stating that due to the cloud of corruption hovering over Arroyo, her pro-China stance had an extremely negative impact on popular attitudes towards China in the Philippines and this tainted the cooperative agreements with which she was associated. She stood accused of selling off Philippine sovereignty in exchange for Chinese loans, according to the experts cited by Duowei.
Aquino ran on an anti-corruption platform in the 2010 election, prompting him to take a hard-line stance on territorial issues in the South China Sea and to seek military support from the US to differentiate himself from his predecessor.
Although Aquino is barred from seeking reelection next year, the anti-China sentiment in the country will likely take a long time to subside, thanks in part to Arroyo's legacy and also due to US pressure to contain China, according to Duowei.
Philippines turns down invite to Beijing's V-J Day parade
That's the cost of undeserved hubris.
