Defense, diplomacy go hand-in-hand amid maritime disputes -- expert

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 9): Defense, diplomacy go hand-in-hand amid maritime disputes -- expert

Aside from crafting a diplomatic strategy, the Philippines under a new leadership must also capacitate its defense sector in the midst of territorial disputes vis-à-vis China, according to a Philippine expert.

Aileen Baviera, a professor of Asian Studies at the University of the Philippines (UP), discussed in a public lecture her study titled “Domestic Stakeholders in Philippine Maritime Disputes: Impact and Influence on Foreign Policy”.

Baviera said that defense and diplomacy should be complementary to strategically address the security challenge posed by the maritime disputes.

“If you don’t strengthen your defense, then it weakens your diplomacy. Weak defense capability means weak diplomacy,” she said.

The UP professor, however, emphasized that improving the capability of defense and law enforcement agencies does not necessarily equate to waging war, rather it is a form of deterrence and preparation for contingencies.

Baviera noted that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is transitioning from internal security operations to territorial defense.

”The demands of territorial defense are new to us, something we have to learn. We have to capacitate ourselves. It is going to be an uphill battle,” she said, adding that it will definitely not be an overtime adjustment.

She said the Philippine domestic front liners in the maritime disputes are the defense, security, and law enforcement sector. They are currently faced with a changing security landscape.

With China training sophisticated fishermen militia who fall along the lines of civilian and military, the nature of the disputes reaches a whole new level. The existence of “grey zones”, she said, blurs the rules of engagement. Thus, the question on who to mobilize arises.

Furthermore, Baviera pointed that the “maritime governance bureaucracy is still immature” with a lack of higher guidance on policy and strategy, as well as poor crisis management.

A “one-approach” diplomacy does not offer a political solution to these issues, she said.

Baviera said the maritime disputes largely affect our Philippine foreign policy—crystallizing our national interests, and animating our diplomacy with big powers such as the ASEAN, East Asia and United Nations.

”Our policies and positions are expressions of our values and identity perceived by others,” she said.

“We need strong and wise leadership with strategic foresight to see how this will all come together,” she added.

President-elect Rodrigo Duterte earlier said that he will consider holding direct talks with China if the multilateral approach remains stalled.

Manila-Beijing ties have been somewhat muddled due to maritime disputes with a pending arbitration case the Philippines brought to the United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, Netherlands in 2013 against China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. The ruling is expected soon.

Baviera specializes on and writes about contemporary China studies, China-Southeast Asia relations, Asia-Pacific security, territorial and maritime disputes, and regional integration. Her other notable academic publication is titled “The Domestic Mediations of China’s Influence in the Philippines,” which will appear in Rising China’s Influence in Developing Asia.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=893526