Manila's double standards

The maritime agreement between the Philippines and Indonesia shows the Aquino administration is not willing to talk with China

After 20 years of negotiations, the Philippines and Indonesia signed an agreement on May 23 on the delimitation of their exclusive economic zone boundary in the Mindanao and Celebes seas.

This is the Philippines' first maritime boundary treaty. According to Philippine President Benigno Aquino, the "milestone agreement" is founded on the principles of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the accord is "solid proof" that the country is committed to settling border problems with its neighbors amicably and equitably.

Not necessarily. The agreement is a reminder that, first of all, the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are not short of maritime disputes among themselves.

In fact, all ASEAN countries used to have, and most of them still have, territorial disputes of one kind or another with their neighbors. In the ASEAN Charter, a whole chapter is devoted to dispute settlement.

And, in spite of its bilateral negotiations with Jakarta, Manila has apparently adopted an entirely different attitude toward its disputes with Beijing over the South China Sea. That is, to take China to international arbitration. By doing so, and joined by Hanoi, Manila intends to create an impression that "the big is bullying the small", and their thinly veiled motive is to demonize China and portray China as an "outlaw" in international disputes to encroach upon its long-held interests.

Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Evan Garcia mentioned "goodwill" and "patience" were the keys to resolving the boundary issue. The irony is: where is the Philippine patience when it comes to disputes with China?

With 20 neighbors on land and at sea, China has more neighbors than almost any other country in the world, yet 90 percent of its land border is already demarcated through negotiations and consultations.

Such a record indicates that China does not lack either the goodwill or patience to resolve disputes with its neighbors.

In the South China Sea disputes, China has long proposed shelving differences and joint exploration and exploitation of resources. China and ASEAN signed a joint declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea in 2002, and it has abided by it since.