(Second of two parts)
DESPITE the fact that a majority of Filipinos still trust the US compared to China and Russia, there are subtle shifts that we need to take into consideration as our country’s foreign policy turns to more cordial relations with other neighbors.
While the Pulse Asia survey showed that a great majority of Filipinos still trust the US, the study conducted by the Pew Research Center showed more details. Its May, 2018, survey showed that 78% of Filipinos have a positive view of the US, but this represented a downward tendency compared to 92% in 2015.
The same study found that two-thirds of Filipinos (67%) believed that it is more important to have a strong economic relationship with China than it is to be tough with China on territorial disputes. According to the Pew study, “this represents a significant shift since 2015, when Filipinos were split between the two approaches to Chinese relations (43% favored stronger economic relationship with China and 41% wanted to be tougher on territorial disputes) and nine-in-ten viewed the territorial disputes as a big problem.”
This is important because it coincides with the new track being pursued by President Rodrigo Duterte. We were used to Philippine presidents looking to the US for help in terms of economic and military assistance. But under Duterte, the country has encouraged more robust relations with China, Japan, Russia, and other nations.
To me this represents a paradigm shift. It is a shift that is gradual and calculated. Kudos to the president and his foreign policy team for recognizing this shift in geopolitics and aligning our national interests according to what would be beneficial to our people.
Again, this is not something unique to the Philippines. In seven of the 10 European Union nations in the Pew study, China is considered the leading economic power. Spain (48%), France (47%), the UK (46%), and Germany (41%) all say that China, not the US is the top economy. In Australia – a staunch US ally – 58% believe that China is the world’s leading economic power. Globally (the 38 nations in the Pew study) 47% have a favorable opinion of China, while 49% have a favorable view of the US.
But what do these numbers all mean? More importantly, what does it mean for the Filipino people?
What the shifts in numbers indicate is that Philippine foreign policy needs to be sensitive to geopolitical dynamics. While the United States should remain one of our important allies, this should not preclude us from pursuing Filipino interests by engaging our other neighbors and friends in the international community. We, as a nation, should not be bound by the “special relations” we have with the US.
We need to rethink the “either-you’re-with-us-or-you’re-against-us” mentality as far as foreign relations are concerned. What we do in the world stage should not be dictated by our friendship with one country but by what redounds to the interest of our people.
For instance, we have neglected our infrastructure for so long. Now, China and other partners are showing their willingness to assist our government’s effort to usher in the “golden age of infrastructure.” Should we shun China simply because our other friend does not like it? Or should we pursue a direction that will lead us to progress and development?
The Constitution unequivocally provides that “The State 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.”
Let us follow the guidance of the highest law of the land.
