Chinese lawyer: Philippines, China will remain friends despite sea row

A Chinese lawyer believes that the Philippines and China will remain friends despite the ongoing territorial dispute over the West Philippine Sea.

Prof. Victor Gao, Vice President of the Center for China and Globalization, said it would be beneficial for the Philippines to maintain friendships with all nations, including China.

“I believe that China and the Philippines will remain as neighbors and friends,” Gao said during the 14th Manila Forum for Philippines-China Relations held at Shangri-La The Fort on Wednesday afternoon.

“It will be suicidal if you are a friend to one and an enemy to another,” he added.

Gao also stressed China’s military strength, noting that it is the only country with a hydrogen bomb capable of launching ballistic missiles worldwide without interception.

“China will not fire the first shot. But China will not give you the chance to fire the second shot. China will not allow the United States to launch war whether conventional or traditional,” Gao said.

“China is the best country you can work with. It has the best tools. Without peace, China would not have developed. Long live the Philippines,” Gao, a licensed international arbitration lawyer, added.

For his part, lawyer Raul Lambino, Chairman of the Association for Philippines-China Understanding (APCU), highlighted China’s initiatives that he said inject much-needed stability into global affairs.

"It further gains support and cooperation from the international community. It has created a global impetus for improved global governance and a chance for global transformation. No country can remain unaffected," Lambino said.

He added that the five core principles of China’s global governance initiative are rooted in its culture and tradition, emphasizing fairness, justice, and rules-based international law.

Former National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. also weighed in, citing his experience in the military and government.

“Internal cohesion cannot be done by military alone,” Esperon said, recalling his leadership of the whole-of-nation approach against the communist insurgency through the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.

He said the West Philippine Sea has long been a flashpoint for piracy, smuggling, and transnational crimes, which were addressed through regional maritime cooperation.

Esperon underscored the importance of diplomacy. “The concept of trust and dialogue, whether we like it or not, we have to revert to diplomacy by all means because it’s the first tool even if you are weak. We cannot engage militarily. We must understand the South China Sea is not the sum total of our relation with China.”

He added that “friends and enemies are not absolute. That is why you have to put up your military. It must revert back to diplomacy.”

Esperon also expressed hope that a code of conduct in the South China Sea could soon be realized.

“We can have agreements that could benefit us all. We all know the importance of the South China Sea — 3 trillion US dollars or one-third of the world trade. At least China and the United States are talking,” Esperon said.

“National security is the state where the welfare and general well-being of the people and the government are protected and enhanced. We are countries but no country is an island,” the former security adviser added.