China no longer angry but wants to resolve Spratlys issue among claimants

AFP FILE PHOTO

BEIJING – Recent South China Sea-related incidents, as well as the Aug. 23, 2010 Rizal Park hostage crisis, made China “very angry” at the Philippines, according to a top official of the People’s Daily, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party of the north Asian country, also the world’s second biggest economy and regional superpower.

But these issues are all water under the bridge now, according to He Chongyuan, vice president of the newspaper which has a daily circulation of 2.3 million.

Asked by the Philippine Daily Inquirer if the Chinese were still mad at Filipinos, a beaming He said “not anymore,” stressing “we’re brothers.”

Last week, He told a group of Asian and African journalists taking part in a two-week People’s Daily-sponsored media program that “the Chinese people have had good relations and feelings towards the Filipino people.”

“We share some bonds,” he said, noting the late President Corazon Aquino’s “roots are from China.”

He also pointed out that “the Philippines is a very beautiful country,” and they “once enjoyed very much listening to Filipino singers.”

But the People’s Daily official said they felt “very angry” about what he called a “recent boat incident” at the South China Sea.

“In fact, some Chinese media even warned that if the Philippines seizes Chinese fishing boats in the disputed waters again, it may face the military power of China,” he said.

Sometime in late October, the tabloid Global Times, which is owned by People’s Daily, warned that nations involved in territorial disputes in the South China Sea – including the Philippines which calls the disputed waters the West Philippine Sea – should “mentally prepare for the sounds of cannons” if they remained at loggerheads with Beijing.

In a strongly worded editorial published in its Chinese and English editions, the Global Times accused the Philippines and Vietnam of taking advantage of China’s “mild diplomatic stance” to push their own agenda.

“If these countries don’t change their ways with China, they will need to mentally prepare for the sounds of cannons. We need to be ready for that, as it may be the only way for the disputes in the seas to be resolved,” the paper said, adding “if the situation turns ugly, some military action [by China] is necessary.”

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario dismissed as “grossly irresponsible” the Global Times’ statement.

Del Rosario also pointed out that the statement was “in contrast with the Philippine position which seeks a United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea rules-based solution to the West Philippine Sea issue.”

He Chongyuan called the South China Sea dispute “quite sensitive.” But he said “the Chinese government is trying hard to solve it peacefully.”

“If something bad happens, it will be bad for all the countries involved in the dispute while some countries will be happy about it,” he said.

Citing the late Chinese leader Deng Xiao Ping, He said “it might be good to put aside the conflict and let future generations deal with it to keep the peace and stability in the region.”

When contacted, Del Rosario said: “I fully concur that China and the Philippines have had a longstanding friendship.”

“However, even true friends encounter challenges, which serve to test their relationship,” according to Del Rosario.

In a text message, the Department of Foreign Affairs chief said “as close friends with incredible people-to-people ties, China and the Philippines are endeavoring to manage whatever challenges there are in a constructive manner on the basis of equality, respect and understanding.”

“For the record, we do place great value in our relations with China,” said Del Rosario.

In another text message, Del Rosario reiterated that “the West Philippine Sea issue should be resolved peacefully in accord with international law, especially the UNCLOS.”

“We are working with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to have the elements of our actionable framework towards segregating the disputed from the undisputed areas to be included in the drafting of the Code of Conduct [among Spratlys claimant countries]. We are also exploring how best to pursue a dispute settlement mechanism among the options offered under UNCLOS for the purpose of validating our claim,” he added.

Meanwhile, Shen Beili, director general for Southeast and South Asian Affairs of the international department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said that the Spratly islands “have been there all the time in history.”

But the issue “has been hot recently” and “has been attracting more attention,” said Shen.

“Recently, there have been some tendencies for some countries to elevate the issue to the international arena…But territorial disputes are always sensitive and should not be played up too much because they won’t contribute to solutions of the issue,” she said, adding “it’s better for concerned parties to sit down and talk peacefully instead of making it a big issue.”

During separate meetings with the visiting journalists, Li Zhongjie, deputy head of the CCP Central Committee’s Party History Research Center, and Wang Zhongwei, vice minister of China’s State Council Information Office, said more or less the same thing.

Li also said Beijing “always holds a friendly attitude towards its neighbors…There is no need to fear [China].”

“We want to deal with our neighbors in a peaceful way. We need to increase our intimacy in the future. We should communicate and cooperate with each other towards that goal,” he added.

For his part, Wang said “we should respect each other on friendly terms.”

“We should not elevate (the Spratlys issue) to an international forum. We also should not allow other parties to meddle in our talks,” he said.

At the same time, Wang advised foreign media to be more responsible in reporting about the issue.”

“Too much freedom of information without responsibilities will result in turmoil and will lead to deeper chaos,” he warned.

One of the media program delegates, Tran Thi Thang of the Vietnam News Agency, agreed that the issue “should not be internationalized.”

Tran said Spratly claimant-countries “should solve the problem themselves.”

Three other delegates, meanwhile, disputed Chinese officials’ call to play down the issue.

Rathanak Thy, reporter of the Phnom Penh-based Rasmei Kampuchea Daily newspaper, said “if we do that, the world will only know one side of the story.”

“Our readers need to know what’s happening not only in our country, but also in the region and the rest of the world,” Thy added.

Clayton Barnes, business reporter of Cape Argus, a Capetown, South Africa paper, said “the citizens of every country have the right to know what’s happening in both local and international affairs.”

Issues like the South China Sea dispute “should be reported fully instead of being played down,” Barnes also said.

Reporter John Gachiri Gachanja of the National Media Group in Nairobi, Kenya, said “there is a big difference between journalism and public relations.”

“If there is a pink elephant in the room, it is the duty of journalists to report about the pink elephant instead of calling it a small cow…If the facts point to a big problem, they ought to be reported without any additions or subtractions,” Gachanja added.