China sends gunboat to harass the Philippines

Gunboat diplomacy is a very old tactic. It was used in the 19th century and now, at 21st, countries such as China still believes in its efficacy to force an issue.

China flexes its muscles and for what cause? Not to advance the Socialist revolution to other realms in the Asia-Pacific but to harass a small country like us, and try to take over a shoal which is evidently not theirs.

Is China's leaders not thinking at all? Harassing such a small country like us is a shame. Why? Everyone knows that we are as helpless as a mite over a cockroach like China. China is starting to irritate us, and even the United States, but we must fully understand why the Chinese are behaving this way---their economic model which is the fusion of capitalist ideals and values and Socialist politics--is creating some societal problems.

Because Chinese socialism has diluted itself and now, a mockery to true Socialism, what is now a fairly prosperous China under the aegis of the old Chinese Communist Party is now, slowly getting poorer and poorer by the minute.

Wealth is now concentrated in the hands of a few while the many are wallowing in extreme poverty, something which the Chinese leadership wants to hide from its people and from the international community.

Sending a gunboat here hits two problems at the same time: redirects the attention of its people from their suffering to a belief of Chinese supremacy and sends a stirring message to the Filipino government that the shoal and the rest of Kalayaan is theirs for the taking.

What China does not know will kill it. What China does not know will eventually put it to shame.

History is replete with stories of how 300 men decimated an army of 10,000 and how seven dedicated men were able to storm a palace and kill a king.

Yes, China is far superior to us not just militarily but economically. We do have our aces, and China will probably not admit it and continue on its foolishness.

But the let the world know this--we might be small, but such ogres like China stands helpless against a tiny yet determined country such as ours.

China should re-read the Baselines Bill

Unknown to many, I once worked as Foreign Affairs Specialist at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). I was detailed at the department's think-tank, the Center for International Relations and Strategic Studies (CIRSS) or what we all call "sears". Handling the economic diplomacy desk, I was one of those who recommended and accurately predicted the inclusion of China in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the possible re-organization of the regional trade organizations into multilateral economic zones. This is happening right now.

This latest caper by China, issuing a protest over the Senate's watered down version of the Archipelagic Baselines Bill is a comedy, a laughable thing which, probably stemmed from the inability of the Philippine Charge d'Affairs in Beijing to translate the bill to Mandarin. The statement is a knee-jerk reaction from the Chinese, albeit, done grinning sheepishly while saying it. Come on, China. We both know that the bill diluted our claims to the Kalayaan Islands and Scarborough shoal. Under the "regime of islands" concept in the UNCLOS, the version practically abandoned the claims, and yet, you protest. And for what?

Because we did'nt unilaterally dropped the entire claim, as you suggested in talks with the Arroyo administration late last year? Your attaches and political operators went into full high-gear diplomacy with our Congressmen, those very close to Arroyo, to ask our government to abandon the claims in exchange for commercial transaction of the Congressmen's self-appointed companies and a whooping government-to-government loan under the China Exim bank.

Former UN representative Lauro Baja already told the whole world that the Philippines erred in passing that version since it effectively handed over to you the entire Kalayaan archipelago. You can now exploit those territories for themselves, says Baja.

China should re-read the bill and revert back to us with a reasonable answer.

Clinton slaps Arroyo while Arroyo snaps back with Smith

The timing is impeccable. It deserves both our derision and praise.

The Supreme Court released a decision on convicted American rapist Daniel Smith, the very same week new US State department Hillary Clinton does her Asian trip. Shortly after the SC released the decision, temperatures again rose when civil society groups and the media try to revive nationalist passions against US inaction to hand over the rapist.

Is this a case of just "papansin", or in English, PDA meaning Public Display of Anger?

Obviously, the Smith case is a classic propaganda campaign meant to convince Obama and his administration that the Philippines is more relevant, than, say Indonesia or Thailand.

Those obvious snubs which Obama gave Arroyo and this slap by Clinton shows how strained relations between the Arroyo administration and the US government is right now.

This explains why the Arroyo administration is getting cozier with the Chinese than Obama, to the point that the government dangled the Kalayaan and Scarborough shoals as bait to the Americans.

The gambit did'nt work. That's why Arroyo is now dangling Smith before the nose of Obama and Clinton, trying to get their attention and for what? To save her administration? Or probably, to save her skin and that of her husband, who obviously, faces the prospect of arrest due to money laundering?