Carrot, stick
“It defined the blue economy as the sustainable use of marine resources for economic growth and improved livelihoods while preserving the health of the ocean ecosystem.
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Daily Tribune“It defined the blue economy as the sustainable use of marine resources for economic growth and improved livelihoods while preserving the health of the ocean ecosystem.
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China has sent feelers through its usual mouthpieces, which are considerable but go against the grain of the current efforts to enforce the maritime convention.
The offer involves the development of a blue economy in the South China Sea (SCS) together with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including the Philippines.
The SCS is a body of water that includes the West Philippine Sea, which is the part of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the country.
According to the proposal, the cooperation would involve a wide range of economic activities such as fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, shipping, the sea salt industry, the marine oil and gas industry, renewable energy, and biotechnology.
It defined the blue economy as the sustainable use of marine resources for economic growth and improved livelihoods while preserving the health of the ocean ecosystem.
The offer is a huge departure from the earlier threat to arrest “trespassers” in the contested region.
According to the proposal, strengthened cooperation, particularly in a blue economy, “could offer fresh perspectives and approaches to resolving disputes and fostering mutual development.”
China indicated that through collaboration, the Philippines could advance its economic growth and contribute to a more stable foundation for addressing the South China Sea issue.
“This is not only in the Philippines’ best interest but also serves the broader interests of the entire region,” the overture went.
It reminded us that, faced with the uncertainties and tensions as a result of the maritime disputes and geopolitical rivalry, “it is more important than ever for China and the ASEAN to jointly promote cooperation in the area of the blue economy, especially in the South China Sea.”
Another seeming bait is that cooperation would help de-escalate tensions in the region and create better conditions for pursuing sustainable development.
The premise of the offer, however, exposes a lack of sincerity as it was based on “international attention, as the Philippines has repeatedly denied the existence of a gentleman’s agreement with China.”
It then added that the steps the country took had a lot to do with the meddling by the US.
“For quite some time, Washington has been working to destabilize the area by instigating confrontation, flexing its muscles, and sowing chaos to complicate further and intensify the situation in the South China Sea.”
Thus, it again failed to recognize the country’s entitlement based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 arbitral award.
The appeal, which is the first since tensions heightened between both countries, cited the ineffectiveness of seeking alliances and taking “unilateral actions” to settle the dispute.
“This approach would not only be ineffective in finding a solution but could also escalate tensions in the region, ultimately harming the interests of all parties involved,” China said.
Floating a joint development in the contested waters will not work unless China finds a way to recognize the international norms that do away with its expansion in the SCS.
Such recognition will remove the impediments to the Code of Conduct (CoC) which has been on the back burner for two decades due to China’s unrealistic demands.
China’s insistence that its historical claim be recognized and that third-party involvement be done away with have impeded the progress of the CoC negotiations.
Mutual respect and not impositions should be the principle that will guide both nations in ending the maritime deadlock.
Unless that happens, all of the trial balloons Beijing launches for the Philippines will burst in the first instance, including the current offer of a blue economy cooperation.
