Track 2 Talks with China Initiated - Philippine Council for Foreign Relations
Pasig, Philippines, September 22, 2016 --(PR.com)-- On September 13-15, 2016, the Philippine Council for Foreign Relations (PCFR) embarked on a Track II mission to China by sending a delegation under Ambassador Jose Romero, Council President. The delegation was composed of retired ambassadors Jaime Bautista, Jaime Yambao, Alberto Encomienda, Eva Betita, Cristina Ortega from the Philippine Ambassadors Foundation, retired flag officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, Generals Edilberto Adan, Enrique Galang, Rodolfo Tor, Commodore Carlos Agustin and Colonel Alejandro Flores and businessmen Dr. Alan Ortiz, Atty. George Anghel and Bernardo Benedicto, and from the academe Dr. Ananda Almase of the National Defense Colege. Former DILG Secretary Rafael Alunan, a consultant to the special envoy to China former President Ramos also joined the delegation.
Armed with confidence building proposals the delegation engaged their counterparts in a series of dialogue in Beijing. This Track 2 initiative involved embarking on non-governmental, informal and unofficial dialogues with contacts and counterparts. This is not to be confused with Track I initiatives by this administration such as the appointment of a special envoy to China in the person of former President Fidel Ramos and his assistants. Expectedly, however, both sides can and will cooperate on Track 1.5 diplomacy in the final resolution of the RP-China disputes.
The PCFR delegation started their itinerary with a courtesy call Ambassador Liu Zhenmin Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This was followed by calls on Ambassador Wu Hailong, President of the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Yang Yi head of the China Institute of Strategic Studies and Madam Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of Asean China Center.
Vice Minister Liu expressed great satisfaction by the initiatives taken the Duterte administration to seek bilateral talks with China following tensions generated from the UNCLOS decision. He downplayed the incident calling it an isolated incident that should not disturb the long term relations between the two countries which has produced several bilateral cooperation covering many aspects of the two nation’s relations in the last four decades or so.
In a highly crafted and measured comment, the Chinese Vice-Minister expressed the hope the Philippines handle the South China Sea affair appropriately and get bilateral relations on-track once again. Given that relations between the two countries had sunk to its lowest level since it started decades ago, he expressed the wish that under the new Philippine dispensation the relations between the two countries will arrive at a new turning point. He hoped further that that the Philippines can meet China halfway, handle the dispute appropriately, and place RP-China relations back on track through dialogue, consultations and cooperation. He, however, warned about possible bumps along the road to reconciliation due to vested economic not to mention third country interests which may be at work to try to derail the process towards reconciliation.
Difficult through it may seem given that both parties will cling on to their respective positions vis-a-vis the South China Sea issue, the Vice-Minister was cautiously optimistic that restarting bilateral agreements between the two countries derailed by the previous administration through its hard-line stance will again get on track. The immediate restoration of bilateral agreements in his view can help restore the trust and confidence which in turn can facilitate formal bilateral negotiations in the near future.
The same sentiments were echoed by the think-tanks we visited, all of which lauded the openness the new administration to restart bilateral talks while keeping in the back-burner the UNCLOS decision without necessarily giving up the respective claims of both nations.
They pointed to the Asian way of crisis management and conflict resolution which begins with friendship trust and confidence. This in turn can facilitate agreements by softening hard positions. While Western methods begin with contracts, the Asian way begins with friendship and confidence. This country’s approach to the China Sea issue by legal rather than diplomatic means was apparently the reason for their hard-line approach.
In this connection the delegation informed their Chinese counterparts that the Asian way, also known as “musjawarah,” is not unknown to Filipinos as was the case in its territorial dispute with Malaysia over the Sabah which resulted in both parties setting aside, indefinitely the sovereignty issue resulting in the creation of the Maphilindo, the precursor of Asean under the Manila Accord of 1962.
As confidence building measures think tanks like the Asean China Center, the Institute of Strategic Studies and hosts the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs were open to agreements that would pave the way for academic exchanges that would provide a platform for connectivity for both countries, so essential for mutual understanding and cooperation.
Armed with confidence building proposals the delegation engaged their counterparts in a series of dialogue in Beijing. This Track 2 initiative involved embarking on non-governmental, informal and unofficial dialogues with contacts and counterparts. This is not to be confused with Track I initiatives by this administration such as the appointment of a special envoy to China in the person of former President Fidel Ramos and his assistants. Expectedly, however, both sides can and will cooperate on Track 1.5 diplomacy in the final resolution of the RP-China disputes.
The PCFR delegation started their itinerary with a courtesy call Ambassador Liu Zhenmin Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This was followed by calls on Ambassador Wu Hailong, President of the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Yang Yi head of the China Institute of Strategic Studies and Madam Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of Asean China Center.
Vice Minister Liu expressed great satisfaction by the initiatives taken the Duterte administration to seek bilateral talks with China following tensions generated from the UNCLOS decision. He downplayed the incident calling it an isolated incident that should not disturb the long term relations between the two countries which has produced several bilateral cooperation covering many aspects of the two nation’s relations in the last four decades or so.
In a highly crafted and measured comment, the Chinese Vice-Minister expressed the hope the Philippines handle the South China Sea affair appropriately and get bilateral relations on-track once again. Given that relations between the two countries had sunk to its lowest level since it started decades ago, he expressed the wish that under the new Philippine dispensation the relations between the two countries will arrive at a new turning point. He hoped further that that the Philippines can meet China halfway, handle the dispute appropriately, and place RP-China relations back on track through dialogue, consultations and cooperation. He, however, warned about possible bumps along the road to reconciliation due to vested economic not to mention third country interests which may be at work to try to derail the process towards reconciliation.
Difficult through it may seem given that both parties will cling on to their respective positions vis-a-vis the South China Sea issue, the Vice-Minister was cautiously optimistic that restarting bilateral agreements between the two countries derailed by the previous administration through its hard-line stance will again get on track. The immediate restoration of bilateral agreements in his view can help restore the trust and confidence which in turn can facilitate formal bilateral negotiations in the near future.
The same sentiments were echoed by the think-tanks we visited, all of which lauded the openness the new administration to restart bilateral talks while keeping in the back-burner the UNCLOS decision without necessarily giving up the respective claims of both nations.
They pointed to the Asian way of crisis management and conflict resolution which begins with friendship trust and confidence. This in turn can facilitate agreements by softening hard positions. While Western methods begin with contracts, the Asian way begins with friendship and confidence. This country’s approach to the China Sea issue by legal rather than diplomatic means was apparently the reason for their hard-line approach.
In this connection the delegation informed their Chinese counterparts that the Asian way, also known as “musjawarah,” is not unknown to Filipinos as was the case in its territorial dispute with Malaysia over the Sabah which resulted in both parties setting aside, indefinitely the sovereignty issue resulting in the creation of the Maphilindo, the precursor of Asean under the Manila Accord of 1962.
As confidence building measures think tanks like the Asean China Center, the Institute of Strategic Studies and hosts the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs were open to agreements that would pave the way for academic exchanges that would provide a platform for connectivity for both countries, so essential for mutual understanding and cooperation.
Contact
Philippine Council for Foreign Relations
Jose Romero
+6326715384
www.pcfr.info
Jose Romero
+6326715384
www.pcfr.info
Contact
Categories