US Ambassador Sung Kim greets President Rodrigo Duterte in this January 2017 file photograph from the Philippine News Agency.
While United States Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim was noncommittal on what specific action his country will take in the event China proceeds to build structures on disputed Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea just west of Zambales Province, he nevertheless stressed US interest in the peaceful resolution of issues among all claimant states in the disputed waters.
Kim was the keynote speaker at the general membership meeting of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) Tuesday at the Peninsula Manila hotel in Makati City.
Ambassador Kim said that the US was not a claimant in the maritime disputes, but it hopes that countries would refrain from taking unilateral actions, such as building structures and intensifying militarization. He added that the US cares deeply about respect for fundamental rights, like freedom of navigation.
In relation to this, Kim clarified that the US has no problems with the Philippines or any other country working to improve relations with China, amid the misconception that it was opposed to President Rodrigo Duterte's efforts to broaden ties with Beijing.
"That's not at all correct," the ambassador said.
Nevertheless, he assured the audience that the alliance between the US and the Philippines remained strong, and that the military trainings and exercises planned for this year would push through. The USwas also communicating with officials of the Philippine Army to ensure that they are prepared for any external threat.
Kim was confident that the strong partnership between the two countries would continue, given that the security environment at the moment was "complex".
When asked if the U.S. would remove visa requirements for Filipinos heading to the US as proof of how much the North American country valued its relationship with the Asian nation, Kim said that U.S. law lays out strict requirements for a country to be included in a visa-waiver program. Unfortunately, the Philippines did not meet the requirements currently.
"But this is not permanent," he pointed out. "So we may find that a few years from now, the Philippines would meet all the requirements and would be included in the visa waiver program."
Nonetheless, he guaranteed that the Embassy was working very hard to make the visa application process as painless and efficient as possible, even as he reported that they processed over 200,000 non-immigrant visas in 2016.
Is the BPO industry in trouble?
Kim also fielded questions about whether the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry in the Philippines would be affected by President Donald Trump's "America first" thrust, and said that it was too early to tell whether the new administration would implement policies directly relevant to BPO operations of U.S. companies in the Philippines.
He said there were many reasons why US companies chose to establish operations here, as Filipino employees were "very capable", "smart", and fluent in English. The labor cost was also "reasonable".
Kim predicted that there would be no "dramatic" changes in the operations of U.S. companies in the Philippines, but if there was anything that would make an impact, it would be technology advancement - Artificial Intelligence, in particular - and not Washington's policies.
On the drug war
Kim was also asked if US businessmen were concerned that the Philippines was becoming an unstable environment to do business in, given the drug war.
He said that it was a big issue, but added that he has told President Duterte that the US understood the challenges he was facing, and why he was trying to curb the drug, crime, and corruption problems. But there were concerns about how some aspects of Duterte's campaign were being practiced.
Kim added that the drug war was particularly relevant. As companies make decisions about further investments and expanding operations in the Philippines, they have to consider what was happening on the ground.
"It's a complicated situation, obviously," he said. There were businessmen who were confident about the prospects in the Philippines, but there was also concern back in the U.S. headquarters about how they should be managing their operations.
Strong women
Meanwhile, Kim was also able to touch on the subject of women empowerment, which he was "very, very proud of".
This included getting involved in the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence with the United Nations, and a lineup of activities the Embassy would be holding in March for Women's History Month.
He said he was an advocate for women empowerment because he has two daughters and has worked with strong women, including former US Secretaries of State Hilary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice.
"I know firsthand what strong women are capable of," Kim said.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/137363/us-envoy-stresses-peaceful-resolution-in-south-china-sea
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