Washington does not question Manila’s increasing links with Beijing, but considers it important that the Philippines maintain its long-standing ties with the United States.
This was how Kurt Campbell, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs, posed the American view of how it expects the Philippines to deal with the issue of developments in the US-China balance of power in Asia. “We expect and want the government of the Philippines to have a close and growing relationship with China. We also want very much for the government of the Philippines to want a good relationship with the US," Campbell said in a press conference, adding that maintaining good relations with both US and China benefits not only the Philippines but the entire region as well.
Campbell, as a senior official in the US State Department focused on East Asia and Pacific, is in Manila for the Philippines-U.S. bilateral strategic dialogue scheduled for Thursday and Friday. (See: PHL, US may tackle VFA in two-day meet — source) A “strong relationship" with both China and the US, Campbell said, is “the best approach to sustaining the peace and stability in the Asia Pacific region." The State Department official made the statement in the wake of a more complicated situation between the US and China in recent years, where both powers have increasingly competed for economic, political and military influence in the Asia-Pacific region. In recent years, Philippines-China relations have developed more vigorously particularly in the field of investments and trade, while US-Philippine relations were hobbled by glitches in the US-led counter-terror campaign and in irritants in the implementation of the Visiting Forces Agreement.
In reaction, Washington has been showing extra effort to pursue closer ties with Manila “built on respect, shared values and shared responsibilities." Among the issues covered by the bilateral dialogue, which started Thursday, were ongoing areas of bilateral cooperation, regional issues and transnational challenges. Both countries agreed to establish working groups to strengthen cooperation in the rule of law and law enforcement; territorial defense and maritime security; economics and trade; and regional and global diplomatic engagement.
South China Sea dispute Campbell said the issue of disputed territories in the South China Sea was also discussed in the dialogue.
It is in the strategic interest of the US that the territorial be handled in a “legal and peaceful manner," Campbell said, adding that the US wants to see a dialogue between the claimants such as China and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). “It’s best to undertake this process within the context of the 2002 agreement reached between China and the ASEAN and we think that this agreement should extend to a more formal approach that will lead to greater peace and stability and confidence associated with the South China Sea. I think there is a broad recognition that this is a critical waterway and its criticality will likely increase in the time ahead," the US State Department official said.
The South China Sea area – a vast marine territory with scattered islands, shoals, atolls, and reefs rich in mineral and oil reserves and also covers shipping lanes of world-strategic importance – is claimed wholly or partly by the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Taiwan.– MRT/JV
