Because if his subordinates do the talking, China will not listen. China has already built naval and air facilities on an artificial island on top of the Mischief Reef, which is also within the Philippine EEZ.
China has also created an island at Scarborough Shoal, which was controlled by the Philippines until Compared with the Philippines, Vietnam has shored up its sovereign rights over its own EEZ by building 29 outposts in the Spratlys, she pointed out. Duterte now has little room left to maneuver.
China's aggressive approach to the South China Sea has severely undermined the credibility of his pro-China policies. For example, he is unlikely to pursue his long-standing plan for joint oil and gas exploration with Beijing in disputed waters. To be sure, Duterte's own instincts, high approval ratings , and lame-duck status probably mean he won't plan a wholesale embrace of the United States. On the contrary, he is very unlikely to stop criticizing the United States because he remains, at his core, anti-U.
That said, China has left Duterte little choice but to keep inching closer to Washington. Atmospherics aside, Duterte is becoming less of a headache for Washington and more of one for Beijing—and that is a good thing for U. This commentary originally appeared on Foreign Policy on May 3, Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
Derek Grossman DerekJGrossman. Share on Twitter. Related Resources. The Filipino leader has, quite paradoxically, adopted a pragmatic position on the South China Sea, calling for a dialogue-based, bilateral settlement of maritime disputes. And, unlike any of his predecessors, Duterte is set to embark on a state visit to China before the US.
All of a sudden, Duterte seems to have reshuffled regional strategic alignments in Asia. Instead, Duterte has emphasised the necessity for setting aside sovereignty disputes with China by focusing on joint development schemes. In fact, he has refused to even raise the issue in multilateral forums. As a symbol of its commitment, China has even built rehabilitation centres for Filipino drug users. Several senior Filipino officials have visited China to discuss potentially multibillion-dollar investments, with Duterte going the extra mile to portray China as a loving and caring neighbour to his countrymen.
Cultural differences also led to racism. Sex dens and prostitution houses for Chinese clients began sprouting, as POGO money swirled in these cities. Agencies cannot even agree on how many POGO workers there are. Citing the case of the Chico River Pump Irrigation Project , Santiago said that there was no information as to how project contractors were selected.
Santiago also questioned the contracts for the New Centennial Water Source-Kaliwa Dam Project : "While the negative findings from the Commission on Audit about the bidding process were publicized, no action resulting from the findings was ever disclosed. He added: "It is practically the same level of information dissemination insofar as the bidding process for the selection of the third telecommunications player in the Philippines and the Safe Philippines project are concerned.
Since , China had always been among the top five countries in terms of foreign tourists visiting the Philippines, but after Duterte took office, arrivals increased significantly year-on-year from , in to 1,, in Growth in the tourism industry stood to benefit the country.
The travel warning was instituted in , a week after Philippine authorities arrested three men over an alleged plot to bomb the Chinese embassy, Chinese businesses, and Manila's international airport.
It remains a contentious aspect of ties. But could warming ties be the only driving factor behind a surge in tourists? Aside from Duterte's overture to China, the increasing number of travelers could also be attributed to an overall trend of Chinese tourist numbers surging worldwide.
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