PERRYSCOPE
Perry
Diaz
It’s tough fighting
the world’s second biggest economic power and most populous country. But
when another economic heavyweight joins the fight against you, they could
trounce you very badly. And to make the situation worse, the two adversaries
are the giant People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Lilliputian but
economically rich Republic of China (ROC), which is more commonly known as
Taiwan. With the Philippines up against the two Chinas, her options are
limited.
Over the past several
years, China increased her defense budget to double-digit
increments. In the case of Taiwan, the United States provided her
with firepower to defend herself from China whose ultimate goal is to take over
Taiwan and complete the unification of the two Chinas under one government.
But the U.S. has
nothing to do with that. Although the U.S. recognizes the PRC under
a “One China Policy,” she made it known that Taiwan would be defended should
China decide to invade Taiwan.
The Philippines
followed suit and adopted a “One China Policy” too; thus, severing her
diplomatic relationship with Taiwan. However, the influential
community of Chinese expatriates and refugees in the Philippines identify
themselves with Chiang Kai-shek and his Kuomintang Party who fled to Taiwan in
1949 after they were defeated by Mao Zedong and his Communist Party in a bloody
Civil War.
To continue their
“friendship,” the Philippines and Taiwan established two offices to serve as
conduit between the two governments. The Philippine government
opened the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taipei; and Taiwan
opened the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in
Manila. Indeed, the relationship between the Philippines and Taiwan
couldn’t have been better… until last May 9 when an incident in disputed waters
ended in the death of a Taiwanese fisherman.
***
According to
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) account, two Taiwanese fishing boats were sighted
in the Balintang channel just north of Luzon, which is Philippine territory and
not claimed by Taiwan or any other country. In what appeared to be
illegal fishing, the PCG vessel approached the fishing boats but one of them
tried to ram the PCG vessel. The PCG fired at the charging fishing
boat to disable it. The fishing boat was disabled; however,
unbeknown to the PCG crew, a 65-year old Taiwanese fisherman was hit. Then,
a “big white ship” came to view and the PCG vessel took off. (Source: The
Daily Tribune)
The incident created a
crescendo of events leading to violence against Overseas Filipino Workers
(OFWs) in Taiwan. MECO Chairman Amadeo Perez reported that an OFW
was attacked with a baseball bat by an angry mob in Kaohsiung City,
Taiwan. Other attacks on OFWs were reported. “The
situation in Taiwan now is very tense,” said Perez.
In an attempt to
placate Taiwan, President Benigno Aquino III apologized for the death of the
Taiwanese fisherman but the Taiwanese government uncharacteristically rejected
it as “insincere.”
And to make matters
worse, the Taiwanese government banned the entry of OFWs. The Philippine
government is preparing evacuation plans should the need to bring the OFWs home
arises. The Taiwanese government also issued an advisory to her
citizens not to visit the Philippines.
***
Meanwhile, a Chinese
foreign ministry spokesman said, “We strongly condemn the barbaric
shooting and killing of the Taiwanese fisherman, demanding that the Philippines
should investigate the case and furnish the details as soon as possible. We are
deeply grieved about the death of the Taiwanese compatriot and have sent
condolences to his family.”
With China openly
siding with Taiwan, it makes one wonder if China was taking advantage of the
incident to
drive
a wedge between the two allies of the United States. Indeed, China
has been trying very hard to neutralize the United States’ military presence in
the Western Pacific, particularly in the South and East China Seas.
In
August 2012, China tricked the Philippines into ending the standoff at the
Scarborough Shoal (Panatag Shoal) by agreeing to a withdrawal of the two
countries’ naval vessels from the area. As soon as the Philippines
withdrew her Coast Guard vessels, China cordoned off the only opening to the
shoal while several Chinese ships stayed. Since then, China
has de facto possession of the shoal, which is about 124 miles from
Luzon and within the Philippines’ 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
***
Recently, two events
happened that put Chinese expansionism into the geopolitical
equation. First, it questioned Japan’s ownership of the Ryukyu
archipelago, which includes Okinawa where the U.S. maintains 18 army, navy, air
force, and marine bases.
China claims that the
Ryukyus were once a Chinese vassal state during the Ming and Qing dynasties;
therefore, the island chain should be returned to China.
With this new
“territorial dispute,” Japan’s ongoing dispute with China over ownership of the
Senkaku Islands takes different dimension. Some experts are saying
that China is using the Ryukyu issue as a bargaining chip to her claim over the
Senkakus, a group of five uninhabited islands and islets wedged between Okinawa
and Taiwan.
When Japan and Taiwan
recently signed a joint fishing agreement around the Senkakus, China became
furious. And right after that, the ownership of the Ryukyus came
into play.
China also opened
another potential area of dispute – right inside Philippine territory. A
few days ago, several Chinese ships were sighted near the Ayungin Shoal in the
Kalayaan town in the province of Palawan.
Last May 10, a
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson said that Ayungin Shoal is
within the Philippines’ EEZ. He said that the entry of foreign
fishing vessels in an EEZ is a violation of the United Nations Convention of
the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). China and the Philippines are
signatories to UNCLOS. DFA filed a protest letter with the Chinese
Embassy in Manila on the provocative presence of two Chinese maritime
surveillance ships and one warship around Ayungin Shoal. (Source: The
Philippine Star)
Taiwan also has a
piece of the action among six nations involved in territorial disputes in the
Spratly archipelago. Recently, Taiwan announced plans to expand a
pier in Taiping Island, the largest island in the Spratlys. By
expanding the pier in the fortified island, it would allow port calls by
Taiwan’s 2,000-ton frigates. The island has already a 3,800 runway,
which Taiwan built in 2006. (Source: New Straits Times)
During the 115th
anniversary celebration of the Philippine Navy last May 21, Aquino
declared, “Our message to the world is clear: what is ours is ours,
and we will repel any and all attempts to claim what is ours, and defend
ourselves against any form of aggression, especially within our
backyard.”
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