Articles:Independent foreign policy definedBY AMBASSADOR JOSE ROMERO
June 23, 2017 - Manila Times THE Constitution has mandated that this country “shall pursue an independent foreign policy”. In its relations with other states, the paramount consideration shall be: national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national interest and the right to self-determination. An independent foreign policy as expressed by President Duterte means distancing ourselves from our erstwhile patron, the United States and dealing more with China and Russia. This is a drastic rebalancing of our international relations for it cannot be denied that since the turn of the last century this country became a strong link in the US security arrangements in Asia. In fact, we became the most forward position of the US, making it easy for America to project its hard power in the Asian continent. Clark was the biggest air hub outside the United States even as Subic became the home base in Asia for the biggest armada in the world—the Seventh Fleet. This made it easy for the US to engage the North Koreans and the Vietcong with bombing raids launched from its military bases in the country. The bases became so important in the US defense strategy in the Asian theater that the suspicion was that the US was complicit, if not instrumental, in regime changes in the country, e.g. the Quirino and Marcos administrations which had the temerity to reexamine and review our mutual defense arrangement with the superpower. Continue Reading Crisis in Korea: Diplomacy misdirectedBy Amb. Jaimes Yambao, Manila Times - July 7, 2017
US President Trump has expressed increasing impatience with the diplomacy of patience that the United States has followed since the Obama presidency with regard to North Korea’s nuclear and missile build-up. If China is not able to induce North Korea to give up making an intercontinental ballistic missile tipped with a nuclear weapon that can reach Washington, D. C., Trump has warned, the US is ready to address the situation by its lonesome, laying all its terrible options on the table. If China fails, it is not its fault. The US may be overestimating the influence of China with North Korea. The Democratic Republic of North Korea is not a mere client state of China. It has asserted itself as an orthodox communist state distinct from China and the defunct Soviet Union. Deng Xiaoping’s reforms which have spectacularly transformed China and which have considerably influenced other Communist states have had apparently no effect in the DPRK. For its efforts at persuasion, China reportedly has been castigated by the DPRK for dancing to the tune of the US. Continue Reading Lecture on the CHINA’S BELT - ONE ROAD INITIATIVE
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News Bits:
Govt pushing exploration deal with China — Palace - Ralph Villanueva - Manila Times October 3, 2018A joint exploration by China and the Philippines in the disputed South China Sea (SCS) will help alleviate rising oil prices in the country, Malacañang said on Tuesday.
On Tuesday morning, Caltex, Eastern Petroleum, Flying V, Petro Gazz, Pilipinas Shell, Phoenix Petroleum, PTT Philippines, Seaoil, Total and Unioil adjusted their pump prices. The price hike brings the common price of diesel to P48.30 per liter, gasoline to P59 per liter and kerosene to P53.67 per liter. In a news briefing, Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said that according to past studies, Service Contract (SC) 72 in the Recto Bank (Reed Bank) houses abundant oil supply, which would lessen the Philippines’ reliance on imported fuel. Continue Reading PHL officially launches ASEAN 2017January 15, 2017
GMA News The Philippines on Sunday officially launched its chairmanship of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit 2017. "I am truly honored and humbled as we launch the Philippine chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN," President Rodrigo R. Duterte said in a speech during the launching in Davao City. According to Duterte, the event will note the "enduring ties" that bind the ASEAN member states, "affirm shared cooperations," and "secure the future" of the regional organization, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Duterte also reminded member countries of their commitment to the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation and urged them to observe "non-interference in promoting regional peace and stability, with respect for rule of law." He also called on the members to "renew a solemn pledge to do all we can for the very core of our national and regional interest," he said. Continue Reading |