Looking for what we can agree on; 'Hu Jing Hu Hui, Cong Tong Fa Zhan'

It is hard to find solutions to a problem in a hostile atmosphere. Lately, that has been happening to the Philippines-China conflict in Scarborough Shoal. The hostility is fanned by provocative newspaper headlines and exchanges of angry statements.

For example Chinese Embassy spokesman Hua Zhang wrote this column to deny that China was escalating the situation in Huanyan island. He complained about reports by some media that Chinese vessels were remaining in the site. He wrote back “Last April 22 the Chinese Fishery Administration Ship ‘Yuzheng 310’ and one of the two Chinese Maritime Surveillance Ships with bow number 084 have already left the Huangyan Island area. Now there is only one Maritime Surveillance Ship remaining at the Huangyan Island area for its law enforcement mission.

As we have always said, China is ready to settle this incident through friendly diplomatic consultations. The withdrawal of the two ships proves once again China is not escalating the situation as some people said, but de-escalating the situation.”

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There is obviously a miscommunication here that could have been avoided through an information clearing house. There must be a way for reports to be accurate and provable as accurate. It is also time to create vehicles for back channel talks.

Be that as it may, this column sought out Hua Zhang about the idea of an information clearing house to avoid such misunderstanding. But there was really nothing we could do if the agenda is precisely to create hostility. Even with an information clearing house, ways will be found to create a mess whichever side it comes from.

But we were happy to talk about other possibilities to help cultivate better relations. After all this has been said and done, the overwhelming fact is that Philippines and China were neighbors.

As Hua put it, neither China nor the Philippines can move out of the region. That is a nugget of wisdom we must not forget.

It is not just because China is more powerful economically and militarily. Being good neighbors is too important for both of us.

We must look for other ways through which this neighborly relations can be reinforced. As Hua said rightly, the Scarborough Shoal problem is just a small part of the over-all relations between Filipinos and the Chinese who have had centuries of economic, cultural and political ties. There are many levels on which we can work for the benefit of our peoples. We were trading with China long before Magellan “discovered” us. Disputes and that include the Spratlys would be easier to solve under those conditions.

I think this is really what China’s great leader Deng Xiaoping meant when he told Lee Kuan Yew that we should look at ways through which we can work together today and then let the next generation tackle the ownership problem. By then China and other claimants would have reaped the benefits of cooperation.

As with other claimants we should continue working together at different levels. There are many Chinese investors who are wary about coming to the Philippines because of public opinion created that we are enemies, not friends.

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The recent visit of 14 delegates of the Association of Women Legislators Foundation, Inc (AWLFI) is a good example of keeping working relationships on other levels open between our two countries. The women legislators’ group was headed by Pangasinan Rep. Gina de Venecia.

In an email sent to this column she called the visit historic.

“The goodwill visit to China by the 14 delegates of the Association of Women Legislators Foundation, Inc. (AWLFI) of the Philippine House of Representatives — the largest ever in Philippine-China parliamentary relations — at a time of stalemate and tension was an enriching experience and a modest diplomatic triumph for both countries.”

During the visit there were friendly but spirited discussions between Philippine congresswomen and the Chinese political and business leaders in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu & Dijuangyan of the Sichuan province. They talked about women issues and the promotion of the Sino-Philippine friendship.

Among those who were in the group now called House 14 who went to China were Senior Deputy Majority Leader Janette Garin, former Deputy Speaker Daisy Avance-Fuentes, Rep. Josefina Joson, Rep. Bai Sandra Sema, Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy, Rep. Mercedes Alvarez, Rep. Rachel Marguerite Del Mar, Rep. Ana Cristina Go, Rep. Linabelle Ruth Villarica, Rep. Emmeline Aglipay, Rep. Nancy Catamco, Rep. Cinchona Cruz-Gonzales, Rep. Abigail Faye Ferriol and Rep. Gina de Venecia.

“As president of AWLFI, I commend my colleagues for taking part in this nine-day (April 19 to 28) mission to China. It took a lot of courage from the members of the delegation to join this official and people-to-people visit amid the brewing tension at the Panatag Islands at the West Philippine Sea; to the Chinese, Huangyan Island in the South China Sea. In the end, we decided it was prudent to honor our long-standing and long-scheduled commitment to visit China upon the invitation of the Communist Party of China, to exchange ideas on various women initiatives, in the spirit of the joint declaration signed by President Benigno Aquino and China President Hu Jintao, September of 2011, declaring 2012 and 2013 as Years of Friendly Exchanges.

The House’ 14 also took the China visit as an opportunity to contribute in the peace-keeping efforts and help perpetuate a harmonious Philippine-China relationship as unofficial envoys of peace, because as legislators it is our patriotic duty to promote the interest of our country.

“In view of these developments and based on the House 14 discussions with the officials of the Communist Party of China, I am convinced that it is to our interest that we pursue the course espoused by former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s and President Nixon’s landmark opening to China some 40 years ago. Kissinger told the Chinese: “Hu Hu Jing, Hu Hui” (Mutual Respect, Mutual Benefit) in resolving conflicts.

 “Hu Hu Jing, Hu Hui” should govern Philippine-China relations,” added de Venecia. To which Madame Chen Zhili, vice chairperson of the Standing Committee on China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) and president of All-China Women’s Federation (ACWF) agreed in her reply to de Venecia’s speech at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.