Philippines-China relations: The roadmap to peace

They say peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding. Last Tuesday, at the Shangri-La Hotel Makati, we were once again invited to the New Year media party by the Chinese embassy in Manila. It was certainly nice to see old friends and make new ones. It was also a pleasure to have met the new Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines, His Excellency Jing Quan.

In his speech, Ambassador Jing disclosed that the Philippines and China have reached a “preliminary consensus,” a common ground so to speak, for the creation of a roadmap that would help manage tensions in the South China Sea. Both the Philippines and China are so deeply interconnected, whether it be in trade, investments or cultural exchanges. The most important for me, however, when it comes to our two countries, is our shared heritage.

Diplomatic relations between the Philippines and China was established on June 9, 1975 and since then, the two countries have concluded almost 100 bilateral agreements that cover a wide spectrum, namely: political, defense, trade and investments, judicial cooperation, infrastructure development, energy cooperation, air services, cooperation in combating transnational crimes, consular cooperation, tourism, culture, sports, media exchange, agriculture, science and technology, sister cities and people-to-people exchanges, all of which reflect the scope and intensity as well as the growing cooperation between the Philippines and China.

In my own experience, I never really expected that I would be able to connect with my Chinese roots, just like I have been able to do with my Spanish roots, even on a national scale, where I once had a small role in establishing a country-to-country understanding between Spain and the Philippines under the Department of Education. It was not until I became part of the Association for Philippines-China Understanding or APCU a few years ago that I found out my grand uncle and former secretary of education Alejandro “Anding” Roces established APCU, a private association that promoted friendship between the Philippines and China at a time when China sent aid to central Luzon flood victims in July of 1972.

As a result of this organization, former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, chairman emeritus of APCU, asked Anding Roces to join a trip to China and since then, the former president made this organization grow, apart from being a very dear friend to our family.

President Arroyo was also responsible for formalizing APCU and registering it with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 1974. To this day, we have had so many exchanges as two neighboring countries that, as the Chinese ambassador said, we should always learn from each other, help each other and respect each other.

A personal addition of mine to this message would also be because of our shared heritage. Both the Philippines and China share centuries-old ties rooted in maritime trade and cultural exchange that dates back to the 9th century – way before the Spaniards. Trade, exploration and even migration have all contributed to our time-honored and enduring relationship, long before state-to-state relations began. The Philippines and China have had many experiences together, all based on friendship and mutual respect.

In the past few years, our countries have faced some serious challenges and the South China Sea issue, as Ambassador Jing says, is only one portion of Philippines-China relations. We still have a bigger picture in mind and, in the words of President Marcos, “Let us not allow these differences to define our relationship… Our differences should be the exception in our ties rather than the norm.”

As part of media, it has also been my responsibility to do my best to help build peace between countries. Again, quoting President Marcos, he also once said we are friends to all and an enemy to none and, while we must uphold our national interests to the highest degree, we must also remember that (in the case of China) we are neighbors that have, throughout history, shown how good relations can bring further peace and prosperity in our region.

Diplomats on both sides, as Ambassador Jing says, are working very hard towards a positive goal and while the task at hand may be demanding, he looks forward to new friends that can become old friends as soon as possible.

Perhaps we all need to be a little more patient and while we are all working together to improve relations, we must also remember the longstanding friendship we have from time immemorial. As the Chinese proverb goes, “Patience is a bitter plant, but its fruit is sweet.” Looking forward to a roadmap of peace and stability.