Countries, in the international arena, are incessantly creating and joining several factions to gain power to achieve their national interests.
Good diplomatic relations with other countries have been proven essential as it will bring economic, social and political prosperity among the parties involved and managing relations with the global community heavily depends on the foreign policy of nation as it is a great instrument in achieving the state’s national interest.
Since the foundation of the country, Philippine foreign policy revolved around these three (3) main pillars as mandated by 1987 Philippine Constitution; (1) Preservation and enhancement of national security, (2) Promotion and attainment of economic security and (3) Protection of the rights and promotion of the welfare and interest of Filipino overseas. Facets of Philippine foreign policy revolves around national security, economic diplomacy and preserving the rights of the overseas Filipino workers. The country must maintain its legitimacy over the territory, ensure independence as a nation-state and protect the citizens from internal and external threats.
Philippines has been utilizing various international relations strategies to maintain and strengthen its foreign affairs, whether it be bolstering ties with the neighboring states, maintaining alliance with major powers and bringing significant contribution to global issues. Quite interestingly, unlike other countries who adhere to the contemporary and prominent foreign policy by their respective state regulators, Philippines shifted to an entirely different foreign policy, disparate to what the previous government administrations have been using for over a century.
On September 10, 2016, after his diplomatic trip to Laos for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and a working visit to Indonesia, Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte proclaimed that the Philippines is pursuing an ‘independent foreign policy’ under his administration. “In our relations to the world, the Philippines will pursue an independent foreign policy. We will observe and must insist on the time-honored principle of sovereignty, sovereign equality, non-interference and the commitment of peaceful settlements of dispute that will serve our people and protect the interests of our country,” Duterte said. Different explanations and interpretations were made to analyze on what exactly this slogan means for Duterte’s management as it is distinct from the advocacies of the previous administration. However, to put it simply, Dr. Parameswaran of The Diplomat, explained that the president’s ‘independent foreign policy’ is most often expressed as one based on cultivating a diversified set of relationships solely based on Philippine national interests, designed to maximize the country’s autonomy, security, and prosperity.
Some specialists say that the Philippines is gawkily bouncing one major power off the other to pave way to a neutral foreign policy. The United States established diplomatic ties with the Philippines in 1946 strengthened through the 1951 US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty which began during World War II. The relations of both countries are established on robust cultural linkages, and economic cooperation. Prevailing winds blew east-west rather than north-south as President Duterte decided last February to unilaterally terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), which gives the legal right to U.S. troops to conduct bilateral exercises in the Philippines. Several weeks before this, the president has been giving hints that he want to end the 21-year-old agreement after the United States of America canceled the visa of Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, a senator and former police chief of Philippine National Police, who supervised Duterte’s drug war. U.S. President Donald Trump did not really care about Duterte’s decision as it will just minimize United States’ spending, financially speaking.
Based on the diplomatic note sent by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. to the US embassy on June 1, the abrogation of the VFA was suspended for six months until December 2020. Then it will be extended by another six months until June 2021. Officials and analysts from both countries showed concern about this huge move as it will fuel China’s aggressive position in the South China Sea and intensify the Chinese territorial expansionism. A month later, President Duterte announced the Philippines’ ‘separation’ from the United States to forge stronger relations with China and Russia, which made him the center of attention of local and international media headlines. This leads to a conclusion that the country is on its way to conduct joint military exercises with China and Russia. Moreover, Duterte expressed his intention to solidify the diplomatic ties of Philippines with Russia and China as the president fervently believe that both countries respect the sovereignty of the Philippines unlike United States.
Duterte is intending to form an ‘open alliance’ with the two powers with historic rivalries with the United States. This is no doubt because Duterte is an enthusiast of Russian’s authoritarian populism and to its model of the so-called “sovereign democracy”, which focuses on national autonomy and independence away from external interference, although the Filipino president made it clear during his speech at the 6th Annual Meeting of Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi that he is not opposed to liberal democratic values of the West. Additionally, Duterte’s dramatic pivot to Russia and China is just a way to expand the horizon of Philippine diplomacy as he plans to intensify the engagement with Eastern nations as they possess large-scale military presence globally.
Putin regime began deploying more naval forces in Asia and started establishing ties with the commodity/energy industry within the region. Top Filipino defense officials, who accompanied Duterte during his first visit to Moscow, signed a series of crucial key agreements with Russia. The most crucial one was the Agreement on Defense Cooperation (ADC), which provided an unprecedented framework for bilateral defense cooperation as well as the purchase of Russian weapons. Russia rapidly leveraged counter-terrorism cooperation to build military-to-military ties with the American-trained Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
As for People’s Republic of China-Philippines ties, boosting the economic relationship is still the main priority for the PH administration. The country is continuously seeking Chinese assistance for the construction of drug rehabilitation centers for Filipino drug dependents, acquiring loans for the infrastructure and railway construction in Mindanao and possible procurement of Chinese-made weapons for the AFP. On the contrary, the West Philippine Sea/South China Sea dispute continued to strain Philippine–China relations. Duterte declared from the start of his administration that he is willing to conduct bilateral negotiations with China and organize a joint exploration of the international water’s natural resources. On July 12, 2016, Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) made a press release on the Philippines vs China dispute over South China Sea. An international panel of judges unanimously ruled in favor of the Philippines as there is no legal basis for China to claim the rights of the resources within the ‘nine-dash line’.
Despite of the legal victory, Duterte’s administration gave a restrained and muted reaction due to the fear that China might retaliate against Filipino fisherman and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) situated on the disputed area. Intriguingly, Philippines decided to make reticent steps by conducting bilateral talks with China despite of the ruling without discussing their conflicting in the South China Sea. Evidently, the president is determined to establish an entente with China and is willing to sacrifice some foreign policy objectives to instigate his scheme of positioning the Philippines to a more independent stance, thus, developing a balanced relationship with China and other major powers.
On a closer look, Duterte’s dramatic pivot to non-traditional partners such as Russia and China and softening its alliance with United States are the most remarkable facet of his ‘independent foreign policy. The general turn of events starting on his incumbency brings a major opportunity for President Duterte to cut the military presence of the United States in the Philippines while leveraging Russian military capabilities to deter Chinese expansionism in its own waters.
Evidently, Philippines’ burgeoning relationship with Russia and China creates a necessary defensive protection to the country while developing the equi-balancing policy on China and United States. Harnessing China to maintain economic ties with the Philippines and resorting to bilateral negotiations over South China Sea claims to be part of Duterte’s scheme, alongside with building a fresh relationship with US geo-politic rival, Russia.
President Duterte’s declaration and actions are solid efforts being made in recognition of evolving geopolitical shifts, thus, playing the balancing game around his pursuit of an independent foreign policy. Although many experts criticized Philippines’ move in gravitating closer to China and Russia while distancing with United States on top of Duterte’s incendiary rhetoric and poor optics, our eyes cannot simply ignore the leader’s yearning to steer the Philippines in time of instability and pave way for an independent foreign policy.
President Duterte’s new foreign policy direction has left his administration receptive to condemnation, but, while much remains uncertain, the development of Philippine foreign policy in the coming years, may it be good or bad, will be a monumental scene to spectate in the international arena, as it will not only affect Duterte’s vestige but also the future of the Philippines more generally.
Image Credit: DPA