Duterte's visit offers chance to turn new page

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is leading a big delegation to China this week. Even before he embarked on his first trip outside of Southeast Asia as president, Duterte sent many positive signals that have raised hopes the new Philippine leader can repair his country's ties with China, which were strained under the previous government led by Benigno Aquino III.

In his interviews with Chinese media ahead of his Beijing trip, Duterte expressed his desire to improve ties with China and strengthen cooperation with China in a wide range of fields. He also said the just concluded joint military drills between his country and the United States in the South China Sea will be the last while he is in office.

Such words and gestures can help turn a new page in relationship between Beijing and Manila and ratchet down tensions in the disputed waters, which will in turn contribute to peace and stability in the region.

If such desirable momentum can be maintained, people should not be surprised if Beijing and Manila reach a consensus on resolving their maritime disputes through bilateral talks and negotiations very soon. Such a prospect is also sought by China as the South China Sea disputes have become a major man-made obstacle standing in the way of deepening mutual trust and cooperation between China and its neighbors in Southeast Asia.

Yet, some in the world arena are unhappy about the warming relations between Manila and Beijing. Their narrow-mindedness leads them to think Manila is backing down from its South China Sea position and distancing itself from Washington and its security alliance with the US because it wants economic benefits from Beijing.

A Financial Times report on Oct 12 presents a typical view of such kind. Quoting some analysts, the London-based newspaper said Duterte has unrealistic expectations about what China will give him, and he has lessened his leverage with Beijing by publicly repudiating the US.

Those who harbor such views would like to drive a wedge between China and the Philippines. However, reciprocity and win-win outcomes have always prevailed in China's interactions with other countries, and this is likely to be the case this week, with China and the Philippines expected to sign agreements on deepening bilateral cooperation in various fields.

In fact, outside forces, the US in particular, instigated the previous Philippine government to provoke China over the maritime disputes between the two countries again and again.

As a result, China-Philippines relations became ice cold and tensions continued to build up in the disputed waters, serving the interests of neither country nor the region at large.

Fortunately, the new Philippine government under Duterte has decided not to be used as stepping stone in the US' strategic maneuvering in the region, which is intended to contain China's rise as Washington increasingly sees China as a rival that is bound to challenge its leadership in the region and beyond.

As such, those who feel uncomfortable about or even outraged by the rapprochement between Beijing and Manila only want to fish for their own interests in the troubled waters. To this end, the US and some of its die-hard regional allies may continue to use the South China Sea arbitration ruling or the so-called freedom of navigation as a pretext to intervene in the maritime disputes. But their ulterior motives are doomed to fail.

Abraham Lincoln once said, you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all the people all of the time. That the Philippines has finally seen through the US' hidden agenda in the South China Sea and is making efforts to mend fences with China is ready proof of this.

The author is deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily Asia Pacific.

jasmine@chinadailyhk.com