“Springtime” Relations Bear Tangible Fruits

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte once described China-Philippines ties as "springtime" in relations.

Oishi (Shanghaojia) is one of the most widely-respected and recognized Philippine snack brands in China, and more Filipino products including its famous tropical fruits have won over Chinese consumers as bilateral relations between the two countries deepen. 

In 2017, China imported nearly 900,000 tons of tropical fruits from the Philippines, a 24-percent increase year-on-year. China is the top trading partner of the Philippines, combining exports and imports.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte spoke at the Boao Forum for Asia in Boao, south China's Hainan Province, April 10, 2018. /VCG Photo

China is the fourth largest market for Philippine exports. In August, China became the Philippines' top export destination with nearly a billion U.S. dollars in receipts, accounting for 15.3 percent of the total, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

It's the perfect time for the Philippines to enhance its exports to China. The recently concluded China International Import Expo (CIIE) held in Shanghai proved to be a great platform for this purpose.  

During the expo, a delegation from the Philippines, comprising of 40 companies, inked a deal worth 124 million U.S. dollars, an unprecedented move to broaden their presence in the burgeoning Chinese market.

This month, a new trading platform to facilitate direct conversion between Chinese RMB and Philippine peso will be made operational, which will save about three percent in every transaction cost as it will not require the money to be converted into the U.S. dollar.

In October, the Philippine Renminbi (RMB) Trading Community was launched by Bank of China's Manila branch in collaboration with the Philippine's 13 biggest banks with an objective to promote a fair, transparent and resilient domestic RMB market in the country.

The ultimate goal is to enhance the trading and monetary transactions between the two countries.

As a decade-long close ally of the U.S., the Philippines needs respect, not disservice and irresponsible accusations. However, the U.S. intelligence community labeled Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte as a "threat to democracy" in their Worldwide Threat Assessment (WTA) report published in February. 

Illegal drugs are the enemy of all mankind. However, the U.S. ambassador to the Philippines continues to speak aloud and against President Duterte's war on drugs. His words even sparked protests against the U.S. in the Philippines.

Life with dignity and no fear is the key element of human rights. Without peace and stability, how to protect the basic needs of human rights? To build a secure and livable society, China stands with the Philippines.

In practice, China firmly supports the Philippines' fight against drugs and terrorism and its post-conflict reconstruction efforts in Malawi, thus contributing to peace in the country.

Since he took office, President Duterte has moved Manila closer to Beijing instead of being used by the U.S. to coerce China.

Manila's rapprochement has not only contributed to cooling down tensions in the South China Sea, but also it has helped build the current desirable momentum in the negotiations between China and the ASEAN on a Code of Conduct (COC) over the South China Sea issue.

However, some countries do not want to see a sound and healthy relationship between China and the ASEAN countries and continue to try and make noises by leveling allegation about different kinds of "traps."

But wise leaders always build their policies based on their national interests. As we see today, China's ties with the Philippines, currently the China-ASEAN country coordinator, are progressing steadily and bringing actual benefits.

In an obvious display of double standards, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence continues to accuse that China's influence will pose danger to other countries' sovereignty. Interestingly, it is the U.S. that controls the land and ports of other countries to build its military bases, for instance, the Lombrum Naval Base on Manus Island of Papua New Guinea, in the name of respecting their sovereignty. But China specializes in paving the road, not digging holes.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivers a speech during the inauguration of the Consulate General of China in Davao, the Philippines, October 28, 2018. /VCG Photo 

As for China and the Philippines, leaders from both sides are wise enough to properly handle issues including finance which will operate under the internationalized and standardized commercial procedure.

"No political strings" has been one of the fundamental principles of Chinese loans which are well-known around the world. As Chinese President Xi Jinping reassured at the APEC leaders' meeting, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was not a "trap" and there was no "hidden agenda."

To an extent, the BRI could be well-connected to President Duterte's 10-Point Socioeconomic Agenda and "Build, Build, Build" Program. 

Amidst the unending chain of baseless accusations by the U.S., the Philippines Minister of Finance confirmed that there is no alleged non-transparency after Manila carefully reviewed the initiative. As for the potential harm to its national sovereignty, the minister said he couldn't agree with alleged theory.

The anti-China propaganda by some countries needs a termination. It is better for them to pay visits to BRI sites and witness concrete multilateral cooperation because “seeing is believing”.

Copy Editor/Kang Sijun

Editor/Kang Sijun

Author: Shen Shiwei is an Adjunct Fellow at Charhar Institute and former government relations and business consultant for Chinese enterprises in Africa.
Source: CGTN，2018-11-20
Original Link: https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d774e7a4d7a4e30457a6333566d54/share_p.html