Having something for China has almost become the mantra of the recent Philippine President Duterte.
Governor of Chang'an Avenue combed and found that from less than two weeks from 16 to yesterday, Duterte asked for China on three occasions: On the 16th, China and the Philippines were requested to jointly explore the "Bingham Uplift"; on the 24th, China was requested to help combat On the 27th, China asked China to help bring Filipino workers into China's work on piracy and terrorism in Southeast Asia.
There is no unforgiving "love" between countries, and there is frequent interest in China for Duterte. We must also see the interests behind him through the phenomenon.
Give to China is not "spree"
The three things that Duterte asked for involved internal affairs, diplomacy and people's livelihood. It was not a gift that was directly given to China. Instead, it actually encountered thorny issues and turned to seeking for China.
First of all, "Bingham Uplift," a submarine plateau in the Philippine Sea, is the shallowest of 40 meters and the deepest of 2000 meters below the sea level. May be rich in gas and mineral reserves. In 2012, the United Nations announced that "Bingham Uplift" is part of the continental shelf of the Philippines. Accordingly, the Philippines can conduct exploration and exploitation of natural resources in the region, but this does not mean that the Philippines can use it as its own territory. But the problem is that the parties are not capable of developing.
Philippine presidential spokesman Harry Rock said on the 15th that if other countries are interested in conducting marine research in the area, the Philippines will allow it. To put it plainly, the Philippine side is fanatical about China's ability to exploit this infrastructure, before it can be submitted for cooperation.
In addition, China was asked to help fight pirates. The waters around Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines have always been the "paradise" for terrorist kidnapping. They often abduct their crew members. Duterte looked at the Chinese military's ability to crack down on Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden and would like to use the capabilities of the Chinese military to solve the security problems in Southeast Asia's major maritime shipping routes.
Lastly, the plea for permission to bring Filipino workers into China is based on the background of the Philippine media saying that many Filipinos migrant workers have been abused by employers, squeezed, starved and some of them eventually committed suicide. In the past few months, four Filipinos were killed in Kuwait and their cause of death was "obviously suicide." Thus, Duterte 27 reads: If foreign employers continue to "abuse" Filipino workers, he will request China helps to bring Filipino workers into China.
Therefore, instead of frequently showing Duterte to China, it is better to directly say that Duterte would like to ask China to resolve its own big troubles.
Philippines did not give up trying to Huangyan Island
On the morning of the 23rd, 71 C295 aircraft of the Philippine Air Force circled over 5,000 feet of Huangyan Island for nearly 30 minutes. The spokesman of the "Northern Luzon Command" also said that there was a relentless remark: the Philippine military took at least 3 times a month Huangyan Island in the sea patrol.
This action directly smack face Duterte, because it makes the Philippines behave differently.
On the evening of the 17th, after the U.S. naval "Hopper" guided missile destroyer entered China's Huangyan Island without permission from the Chinese government and the Chinese navy's "Huangshan" missile frigate was immediately warned to get rid of it, the Philippine presidential spokesman Harry Locke Said that "the United States can take good care of its own interests." The Philippines does not want to intervene between China and the United States over the disputed South China Sea issue.
According to the Manila Times on the 24th, Harry Rock said something else. He said that China can claim sovereignty over Huangyan Island, but the Philippine sovereignty over the region still exists. If China makes new reclamation projects or builds buildings on Huangyan Island, the relations between the two countries will be destroyed.
Therefore, when the United States manages to break into Huangyan Island, Philippine said "I do not want to intervene in the South China Sea issue." It is only an ambiguous statement. It is to be wary that Philippine has taken the attitude that it does not matter whether it is high or not. It simply does not want to stir in However, once it comes to the Philippine side's own interest, for example, according to Harry Rock, China has indisputable sovereignty over Huangyan Island and its adjacent waters. However, once it is in the interest of the Philippine side, the Philippine side May not turn people face recognition
Re-designation of the weight
Duterte frequently show well behind the chart can be seen from his aggressive position.
Recently, the Philippine House of Representatives is working to prepare for the constitutional amendment agenda. At that time, the Philippines will be transformed from centralized to federalist and the president will be replaced by only serving one current term. Earlier, sources said the Philippine opposition said the constitutional amendment is to remove obstacles for the current president Duterte long-term rule, however, Duterte on the 22nd ordered to the military: "If I become dictator, the term does not step down, Fired at me, I'm not kidding. "
This sentence at least reveals two meanings: First, Duterte is seeking to be reelected; Second, in the control of the military, Duterte is not yet absolutely sure, he must have an attitude to stabilize the military.
In the Philippines, the power of pro-U.S. forces can not be overlooked. The Philippine military in particular has always been an iron-shot ally of the United States. Duterte and China are over approaching. We can not rule out that the United States is acting behind the Philippine military. Moreover, the Philippines is a country with a coup tradition. According to incomplete statistics, from 1986 to 2003, the Philippines conducted 9 coup sets, of which there were three from 1986 to 1987 and from 1989 to 1990 3 times, Duterte can not prevent.
On the other hand, if Duterte is to seek reelection, he will need the support of the people in China. He will ask China to help explore other resources, crack down on piracy and hire Philippine workers. These are matters concerning people's livelihood, and they can naturally win the support of the public .
Taking the labor of Philippine labor in China as an example, the labor export is one of the largest sources of foreign exchange income in the Philippines. Filipinos who work overseas every month, make a total of more than 2 billion U.S. dollars of domestic remittances. Currently, Western Asian countries are still the first choice for Filipino workers to go abroad for employment. Duterte wanted to take advantage of the good situation with China to promote the Philippine labor into China's huge market, abacus play really smart.
And the more benefits Duterte gains in his relationship with China, the more weight he will have to seek reelection in the country. Since Duterte hit such an idea, only to advise him to do the same thing, do not get into trouble.