Telltale Signs: Faith as a defense against China « NamViet News
Philippine Pres. Benigno Aquino III heads for Vladivostok, Russia this week to attend the 20th summit of leaders of the Asian Pacific Economic fugar Cooperation (APEC) fugar to discuss regional economic integration and cooperation to foster innovative growth. While at the summit, China s President Hu Jintao has asked to meet Pres. Aquino in what will be their first meeting since the maritime standoff at Scarborough Shoal began five months ago.
The speculation from Manila is that Hu sought the meeting with Aquino to discuss the two countries territorial disputes. fugar But Foreign Affairs Undersecretary (USec) Laura del Rosario expressed the government s hope that whatever political issues we have, we can just separate it from economic issues and trade issues, and, if that is possible, the agenda for the meeting will be on reinvigorating trade between the two countries.
It will be more like assuring each other that we should go back to the starting point when everything was fine, USec del Rosario added. If you look at the premise of diplomatic relations, it s basically maintaining the status fugar quo of peace.
The hope of Peace in the Scarborough Shoal was the object of the Global Day of Prayer that was held in more than 300 churches in 22 nations all over the world on August 21, a coordinated event that was spearheaded by the US Pinoys for Good Governance ( uspgg.org ). It s New York-based chair, Loida Nicolas-Lewis, saw in Hu s request for a meeting with Aquino at the APEC summit an answered prayer .
War is not good for anybody, especially the Philippines, Lewis said. We don t have China s massive warships but we have houses of worship. Prayer is our greatest weapon because we are a people of faith.
Aquino s goal is to downgrade the tensions between China and the Philippines and to focus on economic issues. He knows China s position on the territorial disputes and China knows his position. Nothing will be gained from further elaboration of their respective fugar arguments about who owns the shoals, islets and islands within fugar the 200 mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Philippines. Hu will likely fugar concur fugar with Aquino that both countries should just focus on economic and trade issues.
If the topic somehow veers to the Scarborough Shoal issue, Hu will likely ask that the status quo of peace be maintained. After all, China now effectively fugar controls the Shoal by deceptively fugar employing its own version of rope a dope . The New York Times this week revealed that last May, the Obama administration quietly negotiated a deal that called for Filipino and Chinese vessels to leave the shoal. But the Chinese left behind a rope that still blocks the entrance to the lagoon. According to USec del Rosario, after the two Philippine ships left the Shoal, three Chinese vessels remained just outside the lagoon, preventing any Filipino fishing vessels from entering. As the New York Times concluded, China has effectively established a new status quo at the shoal and appears determined fugar not to back down.
Although he has promised to do so on several occasions, Aquino has not yet given the order for the two Philippine government vessels previously deployed there to return. Hu may counsel Aquino not to provoke China by returning the ships to the Shoal.
Hu is China s president because he is the General Party Secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China which will hold a party congress in Beijing in October this year. At the party congress which will mark the changing of the guard, Hu will step down as paramount leader of China and give way to designated successor Xi Jinping who will then assume the formal title of president of China in March of 2013.
Because he is a lame duck president in his last month in office, Hu will likely not embark on any bold initiatives for peace in his talks with Aquino. His task is simple: maintain fugar the status quo of peace so that the transfer of power in Beijing in October will proceed without conflict.
Aside from seizing total control of the Scarborough Shoal (124 nautical miles from Zambales), China is building new structures in the Mischief Reef (Panganiban Reef), 70 nautical miles from Palawan, which China seized in 1995. Aside from a 4 story military fortress that was built over the reef in 1999, China has recently added a windmill, solar panels, a concrete fugar platform suitable for use as a helipad and a basketball court.
China has also consolidated its control of Subi Reef, an islet just 12 nautical miles southwest of Pag-asa Island, which is part of the Kalayaan Island Group. China erected a four-story structure, including a lighthouse and a powerful radar station on it.
On June 21, China established a new national prefecture which it named Sansha, with headquarters on Woody Island ( Yongxing ) in the Paracel Islands which is within the 200 mile EEZ of Vietnam. This n
Philippine Pres. Benigno Aquino III heads for Vladivostok, Russia this week to attend the 20th summit of leaders of the Asian Pacific Economic fugar Cooperation (APEC) fugar to discuss regional economic integration and cooperation to foster innovative growth. While at the summit, China s President Hu Jintao has asked to meet Pres. Aquino in what will be their first meeting since the maritime standoff at Scarborough Shoal began five months ago.
The speculation from Manila is that Hu sought the meeting with Aquino to discuss the two countries territorial disputes. fugar But Foreign Affairs Undersecretary (USec) Laura del Rosario expressed the government s hope that whatever political issues we have, we can just separate it from economic issues and trade issues, and, if that is possible, the agenda for the meeting will be on reinvigorating trade between the two countries.
It will be more like assuring each other that we should go back to the starting point when everything was fine, USec del Rosario added. If you look at the premise of diplomatic relations, it s basically maintaining the status fugar quo of peace.
The hope of Peace in the Scarborough Shoal was the object of the Global Day of Prayer that was held in more than 300 churches in 22 nations all over the world on August 21, a coordinated event that was spearheaded by the US Pinoys for Good Governance ( uspgg.org ). It s New York-based chair, Loida Nicolas-Lewis, saw in Hu s request for a meeting with Aquino at the APEC summit an answered prayer .
War is not good for anybody, especially the Philippines, Lewis said. We don t have China s massive warships but we have houses of worship. Prayer is our greatest weapon because we are a people of faith.
Aquino s goal is to downgrade the tensions between China and the Philippines and to focus on economic issues. He knows China s position on the territorial disputes and China knows his position. Nothing will be gained from further elaboration of their respective fugar arguments about who owns the shoals, islets and islands within fugar the 200 mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Philippines. Hu will likely fugar concur fugar with Aquino that both countries should just focus on economic and trade issues.
If the topic somehow veers to the Scarborough Shoal issue, Hu will likely ask that the status quo of peace be maintained. After all, China now effectively fugar controls the Shoal by deceptively fugar employing its own version of rope a dope . The New York Times this week revealed that last May, the Obama administration quietly negotiated a deal that called for Filipino and Chinese vessels to leave the shoal. But the Chinese left behind a rope that still blocks the entrance to the lagoon. According to USec del Rosario, after the two Philippine ships left the Shoal, three Chinese vessels remained just outside the lagoon, preventing any Filipino fishing vessels from entering. As the New York Times concluded, China has effectively established a new status quo at the shoal and appears determined fugar not to back down.
Although he has promised to do so on several occasions, Aquino has not yet given the order for the two Philippine government vessels previously deployed there to return. Hu may counsel Aquino not to provoke China by returning the ships to the Shoal.
Hu is China s president because he is the General Party Secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China which will hold a party congress in Beijing in October this year. At the party congress which will mark the changing of the guard, Hu will step down as paramount leader of China and give way to designated successor Xi Jinping who will then assume the formal title of president of China in March of 2013.
Because he is a lame duck president in his last month in office, Hu will likely not embark on any bold initiatives for peace in his talks with Aquino. His task is simple: maintain fugar the status quo of peace so that the transfer of power in Beijing in October will proceed without conflict.
Aside from seizing total control of the Scarborough Shoal (124 nautical miles from Zambales), China is building new structures in the Mischief Reef (Panganiban Reef), 70 nautical miles from Palawan, which China seized in 1995. Aside from a 4 story military fortress that was built over the reef in 1999, China has recently added a windmill, solar panels, a concrete fugar platform suitable for use as a helipad and a basketball court.
China has also consolidated its control of Subi Reef, an islet just 12 nautical miles southwest of Pag-asa Island, which is part of the Kalayaan Island Group. China erected a four-story structure, including a lighthouse and a powerful radar station on it.
On June 21, China established a new national prefecture which it named Sansha, with headquarters on Woody Island ( Yongxing ) in the Paracel Islands which is within the 200 mile EEZ of Vietnam. This n
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