Philippine to pursue new tack vs China aggression – President Marcos

MANILA, Philippines — As current diplomatic efforts with China appear to be headed “in a poor direction,” the Philippines may have to consider a “paradigm shift” in dealing with its giant neighbor, which continues to aggressively assert its claim over Philippine territorial waters, President Marcos said over the weekend.

“We have to do something that we have not done before. We have to come up with a new concept, a new principle, a new idea so that we move, as I say, we move the needle the other way. It’s going up, let’s move the needle back, so that paradigm shift is something that we have to formulate,” Marcos told Japanese media.

He said there was “very little progress” in current initiatives, judging from China’s continued acts of aggression in the West Philippine Sea.

“Well, to this point, we have resorted to the traditional methods of diplomacy where, should there be an incident, we send note verbal. Our embassy would send a démarche to the Foreign Affairs (Ministry) office in Beijing, but we have been doing this for many years now, with very little progress,” Marcos said. The President was in Tokyo for the 50th ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit.

While his administration has yet to craft a new set of diplomatic policies in dealing with Beijing, Marcos said the Philippines would be engaging allied states to devise a joint resolution defining their responsibilities in the West Philippine Sea.

“We do not want to go the point where there are incidents that might cause an actual violent conflict. Maybe from a mistake or a misunderstanding and these things happen all the time,” the President said.

“And so, we have, in my review, it’s time that the countries that feel that they have an involvement in this situation, we have to come up with a paradigm shift,” he added.

Marcos’ pronouncements came a week after two separate incidents of China Coast Guard vessels ramming and blasting with water cannons Philippine boats and ships on their way to deliver supplies to BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal and to local fishing communities in Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc.

Beijing’s foreign ministry yesterday blamed the Philippines for the incidents but vowed to work with