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US-Philippine alliance: a statesman is born

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In Brief

On April 9, Philippine President Benigno Aquino III stood on the blood stained soil of Bataan province and reminded us of the amazing resilience of the human spirit, the ability to forgive and reconcile and the powerful hope intrinsic to those two facts.

Tens of thousands of Filipinos and Americans gave their lives fighting the Japanese army on this hallowed ground a lifetime ago. In soft rain that reminded those present of the tears of heaven, President Aquino solemnly observed that former enemies were now best friends.

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He said his country had ‘no greater allies than the United States and Japan.’

Delivering the Araw ng Kagitingan rites marking the 69th anniversary of the ‘day of valor,’ which ended one of the most horrific chapters of World War II, a paradigm shift was evident. The Philippines has moved beyond the obvious hedging of the Arroyo era and stepped up into the strategic circle of trust defining the future of the Asia Pacific.

President Aquino said ‘Time has proven that we can count on allies like them (the US and Japan) and I am confident they can stand by us should there be a threat again to our security and sovereignty.’ With China’s ambassador Liu Jianchao looking on, Aquino affirmed the United States is the Philippines’ ‘sole strategic ally.’

The Philippines was one of the five countries that founded ASEAN in Thailand in 1967. They were long considered one of the ‘core five’ ASEAN members – the informal but well known heavy-weight that drove the region’s thinking and were part of the discussion for any vital consensus. The truth is that during President Arroyo’s second term in office, that stature dissipated and the sense among ASEAN’s elite was clearly that there was still a ‘core of 5’ at the center of ASEAN, but Vietnam had clearly replaced the Philippines. Allegations of corruption around Arroyo and her family, multiple near-impeachment processes targeting her and a sense of inconsistency created a sense of separateness which eventually removed the Philippines from ASEAN’s centre.

If Aquino – confidence and sure-footing assured by his new honest, humble but hard-driving foreign secretary Albert Del Rosario – continues on this path of staking out a clear and strategic vision for Philippine national security and foreign policy, the country will quickly return to that unspoken coterie which comprises ASEAN’s leadership circle of trust.

Though there are not yet strong signs that the Aquino administration is ready to move in this direction, if the Philippines developed a forward leaning vision on trade, and amended the economic provisions in its Constitution that would allow it to be a serious player in high level trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Philippines’ stature regionally would be markedly enhanced.

These developments would strengthen ASEAN, as it becomes the centre-point for regional security and trade architecture. A strong ASEAN is a fundamentally important base for enduring and effective regional architecture such as the East Asia Summit, a meaningful ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+).

On the other hand, a weak and divided ASEAN presents what may be an irresistible target for countries that seek to divide members to promote their more narrow national interests. Such a posture undercuts regional stability and hopes for continued peace and growth.

Clarity from Manila and President Aquino is helpful as the United States and most of the rest of the countries in the Asia Pacific strive to reach out to China to indicate that the fast rising power is welcome to neighborhood, and that its economic growth and diplomatic engagement is necessary for extending growth and prosperity in the world’s most dynamic region, but that it must respect the sovereignty and normative structure that has kept Asia largely war-free over the last three decades.

While it has still not been well articulated, the long term goal of most of China’s neighbours is to create frameworks or architectures which China can join and even help to lead as long as it is clear about its goals and intentions and respects its neighbours.

The challenge in this effort is to send China strong signals without feeding nationalist elements a script they believe amounts to a containment strategy. The best way to do so is to be clear and avoid misunderstandings and misinterpretation.

Earlier this year, three Chinese navy patrol boats had ‘an encounter’ with a Philippine exploration ship in the Reed Bank area west of Palawan near the disputed Spratley Islands. The Philippines sent its Coast Guard to avoid further confrontation and the Chinese navy retreated. Such incidents are potential flash points that could result in conflict in the South China Sea.

President Aquino’s decisive description of the Philippine’s strategic outlook and reiteration of the importance of its alliances with the United States and Japan increases transparency and certainty in maritime Asia. His leadership and statesman-like posture are welcome contributions to prospects for peace and prosperity.

Ernest Bower is a senior adviser and director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.

 

An earlier version of this article appeared here in Cogitasia.

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