MANILA, Philippines - A “quiet diplomatic” solution is needed to
resolve the territorial standoff at Scarborough Shoal that would become a
“face-saving” measure for both China and the Philippines, a foreign
affairs observer and China expert said.
In an interview with ANC on Wednesday night, former ABC News Beijing
Bureau Chief Chito Sta. Romana said the current impasse between the two
nations over the tiny islands, reefs and shoals will only trigger
further tensions if not resolved via diplomatic means.
“What’s the diplomatic way out? China claims it’s theirs, we claim
it’s ours and we have a standoff…We can’t be made to appear we’re
backing off [and vice-versa]. The solution would lie in a mutual
agreement to back off at the same time,” he said.
The dispute began days earlier. The Philippine Navy, through its
newly-commissioned BRP Gregorio del Pilar, found eight Chinese fishing
boats in the area and accused them of fishing illegally.
Two Chinese Marine Surveillance Ships immediately barricaded the
boats, saying the Philippine Navy that was harassing its citizens.
Resource-rich South China Sea
Unlike in the islands, reefs and shoals in the Spratlys, China and
Philippines are the only ones competing over Scarborough Shoal, which is
near Zambales province in central Luzon.
The disputed areas in the whole South China Sea or West Philippine
Sea are believed to be rich in resources, which has triggered conflicts
among nations.
Sta. Romana said the Philippines stands on a better “moral and legal”
ground when it comes to claiming Scarborough Shoal because it is within
the country’s 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
China only has its 9-dash line map, or a series of nine dashes or
dotted lines forming a ring around the West Philippine Sea. Sovereignty
over this area is being fostered in the minds of Chinese citizens
starting from grade school.
“But there is no China town there [in Scarborough], they have
conducted fishing over the years, but they really did not occupy the
[area],” Sta. Romana noted. “The problem is, do you want to force the
issue?”
As such, leeway should also be given to China, he said. “When you
want to assert [and the other also], there’s a potential for
miscalculation and conflict,” he said.
Sta. Romana said a win-win solution will allow both claims to still
remain and “nobody will say which nation was first to withdraw [from the
standoff].”
He said this option will also protect the issue of sovereignty, since
both the peoples of China and the Philippines are monitoring the
developments.
“Nobody loses face in front of their own people…When it gets dark at a
certain time, both will withdraw at the same time…Bilateral channels
need to be opened,” he said.
DFA's diplomatic tack
Sta. Romana said this is also the reading he is getting from the
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Secretary Albert del Rosario has
not revealed the “options” for resolving the impasse.
Sta. Romana said the solutions are not being offered “in front of the media” but via “quiet” means.
House of Representatives foreign affairs committee chief Rep. Al Francis Bichara agreed.
In an interview with ANC also on Wednesday night while he was in
China for the China-Philippines Years of Friendly Exchanges, he said:
“I appeal that this not be blown out of proportion…Let’s keep our cool,
no argument can solve this problem,” he said.
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Ira Pedrasa | ABS-CBNnews.com | April 12, 2012 | Article Link
