MANILA – Malacañang has downplayed concerns that China could use its coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine to pressure on developing countries, including the Philippines, on geopolitical issues.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque made the statement in response to a paper published by Singapore-based Yusof Ishak Institute that China’s vaccine diplomacy may not be unconditional.
“Anong pressure ho ang ia-apply ng Tsina sa atin? Ang ating polisiya po ay pagkakaibigan sa lahat at wala tayong kalaban, independiyenteng panlabas na polisiya,” Roque said in a virtual presser on Monday.
“And the President in fact shares many values with the leadership of China including personal friendship with President Xi, so I think the possibility of using the vaccine as pressure as far as the Philippines is concerned is almost nil,” he added.
Based on the paper published by the said research institute, Beijing may use its COVID-19 vaccine donations to advance its regional agenda on territorial matters concerning the South China Sea.
In the same presser, Philippine Ambassador to China Jose Santiago Sta. Romana said there have been no attempts of China to put pressure on the Philippines on the territorial dispute.
“What is happening is they may be trying to do this to increase their standing in the public, to win the hearts and minds of the public, [to show] that they are a friendly country, that they mean well. They want to be seen as a benign regional power and not as an aggressive or malign power,” Sta. Romana said.
“As you know ‘yung ratings ng China, for example, in the Philippines, when it comes to trustworthiness, is quite low, and so the point of this vaccine diplomacy is, on the one hand, to make a global public good to make it available to their close friends, countries that are good to them, neighboring countries,” he added.
“But whether they’ll make it a condition sa geopolitics, that has not come up in a discussion and I think the Chinese are very clear that when it comes to the Philippines, we put it in separate tracks,” he further said.
China and five other governments – Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan – are embroiled in years-long disputes over the South China Sea, particularly in its southern part, called the Spratlys.
China has insisted on historical and indisputable claim over nearly the entire South China Sea, expanding its presence in the waters, turning several former reefs into artificial islands with military facilities, runways and surface to air missiles.
Since securing seat in 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte cultivated friendly ties with China but has invoked the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling invalidating China’s sweeping claim in a speech before the UN General Assembly in September./PN
