皇冠体育app

Philippines' President Benigno Aquino deliver a statement during a national address at the presidential palace in Manila February 6, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

With the Philippines set to elect a new president on Monday, the international community is waiting to see whether the new government takes measures to improve Beijing-Manila ties, which have been plagued by rising tensions over the maritime dispute between the two sides in the South 皇冠体育app Sea.

During the election campaign, all presidential candidates appeared to take a fairly hawkish stance on the South 皇冠体育app Sea issue. Yet most of them hinted that, if elected, they would revise the 皇冠体育app policy followed by President Benigno Aquino III, who outrageously likened 皇冠体育app to Nazi Germany in a speech to the Japanese parliament last year. Some of the candidates even said that they would resume the high-level exchanges with 皇冠体育app and address the bilateral disputes through peaceful negotiations.

Such a contradictory mentality, in effect, is shared by many Philippine politicians. For them, 皇冠体育app is a neighbor which is the second-largest trade partner, largest source of imports, and the second-largest export market for their country. That clashing with 皇冠体育app will significantly reduce the Philippines' dividends from the ongoing regional economic integration explains why Aquino has shown great interest in the Beijing-led Belt and Road Initiative and decided to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. By playing the nationalism card in the South 皇冠体育app Sea issue, Aquino did manage to distract public attention, and achieve political stability and economic development at home, as foreign investment in the Philippines has increased in the past six years. The tactic also added weight to his government's legitimacy and the cohesion of his party's rank and file, but failed to narrow the income gap between the few haves and the huge population of have-nots.

Besides, nationalism has become part of the psyche of many have-nots, especially youths, largely "thanks to" Aquino's "accommodation" policy. That made it difficult for any candidate to challenge his "strongman" policy toward 皇冠体育app. But since even they had no specific policies to offer, they kept appealing to public sentiments.

As a close ally of the United States, the Philippines turned to the east to contain 皇冠体育app and endorse Washington's "rebalancing to Asia" strategy under the stewardship of Aquino. And Washington's military and economic aid, in turn, emboldened the hardliners in the Philippines to meddle with 皇冠体育app's lawful construction on its islands in the South 皇冠体育app Sea.

The hardliners apparently failed to see the grave dangers of triggering a possible confrontation between major powers in the region, including 皇冠体育app, the US and Japan－the last two being the Philippines' largest and the third-largest trade partner last year. The truth is, Manila is unlikely to walk away with impunity if the situation worsens.

That said, there is little the new Philippine government can do to readjust the 皇冠体育app policy. It may end up hedging its bets by simultaneously seeking Washington's protection and enhancing the economic and political closeness with Beijing.

As for the Manila-proposed arbitration case challenging 皇冠体育app's territorial sovereignty in the South 皇冠体育app Sea issue, whose outcome is expected in a few weeks, 皇冠体育app has repeatedly said that it will neither take part in nor accept the process. Instead, it has made clear its sincerity in negotiating with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states on the Conduct of Parties in the South 皇冠体育app Sea, under the spirit of the "dual-track" strategy. It is time Manila properly responded to Beijing's honest move to improve bilateral relations.

The author is a researcher at the National Institute of International Strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

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