Opinion | Duterte heads to Beijing on tide of Philippine dissent over ‘meek and humble’ South China Sea policy
- Richard Heydarian writes that hawks in Manila are out of patience with president’s ‘kowtowing’ to Beijing over contested waters, but surprised by plans to discuss 2016 tribunal ruling
“When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?” British economist John Maynard Keynes is often quoted as saying, emphasising the importance of avoiding rigid doctrines in favour of flexibility.
In many ways, this is the position Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has taken with regard to China. He prefers pragmatism based on facts rather than an intractable ideological confrontation with Beijing.
And, ahead of his fifth visit to China this month, Duterte has said that he will finally raise the ruling from the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague in July 2016 to assert his country’s rights in the South China Sea. China has flatly rejected the tribunal’s jurisdiction and its final ruling, which challenged many of Beijing’s historical claims in the contested area.
Duterte’s surprising announcement came after weeks of rising bilateral tensions, with his senior Filipino generals openly questioning warming relations with China and the latter’s behaviour in Philippine waters.
“The arbitral ruling, we will talk about [it] … That’s why I’m going to China,” Duterte said during his speech this month at the Philippine-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Manila.