Lacson: WPS stance, foreign policy won’t affect bilateral trade relations with China

Partido Reporma chairman and standard-bearer Panfilo “Ping” Lacson assures that bilateral trade relations with China will not be affected even as he pursues a “balance of power” agenda in defense of the country’s territorial integrity over the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

The veteran lawmaker made this clear in a series of media interviews he gave this week following his historic visit to the island village of Pag-asa in Kalayaan, Palawan over the weekend as a symbolic gesture of his commitment to protect the Philippines’ sovereignty against foreign military aggressions.

Lacson, who sits as chairman of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation, said it is important for the Philippines to keep its trade and economic relations with China while exercising sovereign rights over our exclusive economic zone in the WPS.

“Pagdating sa economy, dapat i-maintain natin ‘yung ating trade relations with China. Pero pagdating sa usaping West Philippine Sea, i-invoke natin ‘yung ating—[gaya] ng sinasabi ko—‘yung soberanya at saka ‘yung sovereign rights,” Lacson said in an interview over Radyo Singko, Monday.

(When it comes to the economy, we should maintain our trade relations with China. But when it comes to the West Philippine Sea, we should invoke, as I said, our sovereignty and sovereign rights.)

Should he win the presidency in 2022, Lacson said he is looking forward to developing a mutually beneficial relationship with China, but not at the expense of letting its authorities bully Filipinos traversing on their own territorial waters.

Lacson recently urged the national government to invoke and update the Philippines’ 70-year old Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States amid increased regional tensions in the WPS, saying the “timing is right” to modify its language reflecting modern-day circumstances.

Aside from that, Lacson mentioned that the US government also wants to improve its existing Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with the Philippines, which was signed in 2014, to augment its funding for the protection of its territorial waters.

The presidential aspirant considered these developments as encouraging signs, especially since other allied nations such as Australia, Canada, Japan and even other countries belonging to the European Union collectively support freedom of navigation over the WPS.

Lacson maintained that creating a “balance of power” has always been his position in dealing with the WPS issue since other countries, not just China and the Philippines, have their own national interests to protect in terms of trade relations.

“Hindi ko sinasabing pro-US tayo, hindi ko rin sinasabing anti-China tayo, pero alam din naman natin ‘yung foreign policy is always anchored on national interest, ‘di ba? E ano bang national interest natin? Malinaw naman pagdating sa West Philippine Sea, ang national interest natin ma-exercise natin ‘yung sovereign rights doon sa within 200 nautical miles,” Lacson clarified.

(I’m not saying we are pro-US, I’m also not saying we are anti-China, but we all know that foreign policy is always anchored on national interest, right? And what is our national interest? It is clear that when it comes to the West Philippine Sea, our national interest is to exercise our sovereign rights within 200 nautical miles.)

At least 10 to 12 percent of global trade passes through the WPS, as well, therefore it is important for our Western allies and other nations to uphold freedom of navigation over the region, which China seemed to keep ignoring despite the 2016 arbitral ruling, according to Lacson.

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Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)