CNN PHILIPPINES INTERVIEW ON SINO-PHIL RELATIONS

Auspicious to have been asked to render my views as President of the Anvil Business Club (Association of Young Filipino-Chinese Entrepreneurs) on the status of business ties between China and the Philippines in light of the maritime standoff concerning the South China Sea by CNN Philippines.
In an impromptu interview session, I was asked for my personal insights about Sino-Philippine relations, which the governments of both countries maintain to be "friendly." The network wishes to find out what that means in terms of daily business practices. "Despite the seeming escalating tensions between the two governments," I mused, "Chinese-Filipinos remain optimistic that the issue will eventually arrive in an amicable solution."

Asked if businessmen felt threatened by tensions in the disputed waters, I opined that, while the territorial spat between the Manila and Beijing is a cause for concern, Filipino and Chinese businessmen remain upbeat on strengthening trade and investment ties. "China is one of the largest economies," I said. "The Philippines, on the other hand, is one of the rising tigers of emerging Asia. We should seize the opportunities as we enter the era of Asian leadership."
On the issue of the importance of bilateral ties between the two countries to local businesses and if these industries will be affected if these relations sour, I countered that China and the Philippines have been doing business since 982 A.D. during the Sung Dynasty, and it is highly unlikely that this trade shall be affected to a significant degree. "China and the Philippines share geographic proximity, convenient transportation and low cost of economic cooperation; trade between these two countries is an inevitability," I said.
Manila and Beijing have been locked in a territorial dispute over resource-rich parts of the South China Sea over the past years. China uses its so-called “nine-dash line” to assert ownership over almost the entire South China Sea, while the Philippines uses the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as its basis for its claim; while the Philippines, which calls the disputed areas the “West Philippine Sea,” has already sought international arbitration before a Netherlands-based tribunal to nullify China’s massive claims over South China Sea. Beijing, however, has refused to participate in the arbitration proceedings, insisting instead on bilateral talks to settle the dispute.
As the Philippines and China mark 40 years of diplomacy this year, an on-going sea dispute brings them – antithetically – to the lowest point of their relationship.
Many thanks to CNN News Correspondent Juan Carlo Gotinga for arranging this precipitous interview session. My segment airs in CNN Philippines (Channel 9) at 6:00pm tonight; with a replay at 9:00pm.