May 25, 2017

"The rapprochement between China and the Philippines has ostensibly avoided the prospect of a confrontation in the South China Sea. On the sidelines of a two-day summit about China’s global development project, held in Beijing on May 14-15, the Philippine ambassador announced plans for talks with China over its territorial claims in the sea.

2016 was one of the most important years in the evolution of the South China Sea dispute. On July 12, the Arbitral Tribunal of the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled overwhelmingly in the Philippines’ favour over the disputed area.

China’s worst nightmare materialised in the form of a legal ruling on the dispute. The Philippines successfully exposed the legal weakness of Chinese claims to the territory under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Sea of fire to sea of cooperation?

The Chinese government refused to acknowledge any measure the tribunal proclaimed. Chinese Defence Minister Chang Wanquan amplified regional tensions when he suggested:

Military, police and people should prepare for mobilisation to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

This dangerous environment appeared to be a one-way road to military escalation. But it actually turned into the first stage of rapprochement between the Philippines and China. The main reason behind this twist of events was that Rodrigo Duterte had become the Philippines’ new president on June 30."

Read more:

http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/opinion/26145-china-us-vie-for-friendship-with-the-philippines-while-duterte-hedges.html 

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