There is an age-old saying that ‘too many cooks spoil the brew.’
With the recent controversial issues hounding the seemingly endless tug-of-war at the West Philippine Sea, I strongly believe that there is a need for our top government representatives to explore ways for them to be able to sit down and talk with their China counterparts thoroughly and at the soonest time possible.
I totally agree with the recent suggestion made by no less than former President Rodrigo Duterte, that it is ‘better to talk with Philippines as Philippines and with China as China.’
This is in light of other countries issuing inflammatory comments one after another that only tend to create or fuel tension between the Philippines and China, instead of forging ways to patch up whatever small differences they may be.
If things go off hand because of such reckless statements and decisions borne by them, innocent Filipinos will suffer the most.
Come to think of it, China will also not benefit from the said kind of situation and I am certain they know it too.
I also don’t think that China will do anything that would destroy its relations with the Philippines, which it considers as a long-time friend and ally.
In fact, as far as Manila is concerned, many cities in China continue to express interest in establishing sister-city ties and even exchanges in terms of education, information and trade, among others.
Such is the case that the mayor continues to get invitations and requests for courtesy visits from various delegations from China.
Clearly, these developments are a sign that the Chinese are not burning their bridges because of the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue.
In fact, on the contrary, they are exerting their best efforts to maintain cordial and friendly relations with no less than the country’s capital city while also putting the WPS controversy aside.
The kind of treatment and reception that our delegation constantly gets from our China counterparts only goes to show that they do not bear any ill will as a result of the WPS issue.
We have to find out how far we can solve the problem and I am certain that China wants the same thing.
I am also confident that through formal talks, China would be willing to listen and jointly with the Philippines, come up with a solution that would be agreeable to both parties. Otherwise, a stalemate will not do both countries any good.
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Sadly, some of our officials whom we expect to be tactful are very reckless with their words which only tend to provoke negative reactions.
Nothing ever beats diplomacy. It is the surest way to safeguard a country’s interests and promote political, economic, cultural or scientific ties while maintaining peaceful relationships.
This is the only road to solving the problem that is the West Philippine Sea.
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