Making sense of our evolving foreign policy

China embarks on an aggressive grab of sovereign Philippine territories in the West Philippine Sea. China militarizes the area. Manila files 300+ diplomatic protests against Beijing. President Duterte mounts an unabashed pivot to China despite the territorial grab. China refuses to recognize the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which is favorable to the Philippines. China promises $24 billion in investments to Mr. Duterte, which never materialized. President Duterte remains loyal to China. President Marcos pivots back to the US as substantiated by the expansion of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. President Marcos declares that the Philippines will continue to be a friend to all and an enemy to none.

With so many contradicting words and rebutting actions, it is easy to lose sight of the true essence of Philippine foreign policy.

For those unaware, a national foreign policy is the set of principles, objectives and strategies that guide a country’s interaction with the rest of the world. It is the framework that outlines a country’s approach to democracy, trade and security.

A quote from President Marcos’ last State of the Nation Address reveals his intentions as far as our foreign policy goes. I quote: “We will be a good neighbor, always looking for ways to collaborate and cooperate… but we will not waiver, we will stand firm in our independent foreign policy with the national interest as our primordial guide.”

The operative words are “national interest.” What is this national interest?

It’s all about the economy and improving the quality of life of Filipinos. Thus, our foreign policy is underpinned by our economic interest.

Our foreign policy has always functioned to safeguard our path to prosperity by securing the flows of trade, investments, technology, supply chains and migration.

Our foreign policy is designed to help us attain our national goals. These goals are embodied in the eight-point economic agenda of the Marcos administration for the short term, the Philippine Development Plan for the medium term and the AmBisyon Natin Agenda for the long term.

While our foreign policy has always been congruent with our economic interest, it has also evolved with our changing circumstances.

It will be recalled that just after gaining independence in 1946, the thrust of our foreign policy was to establish as many diplomatic and trade relations as possible to help us reconstruct the economy. Technologies and capital from our diplomatic partners helped build our basic industries while providing markets for our exports.

The thrust shifted just after the EDSA revolution in 1986. This was the era when regional trading blocs such as the EU, NAFTA, APEC, MERCOSUR and ASEAN became operative. Philippine foreign policy shifted to one geared towards harvesting existing diplomatic relations to leverage on these trading blocs. This is known as “developmental diplomacy.”

Another shift occurred in 2010. This time, the thrust of our national foreign policy was to strengthen links with our closest economic allies, notably the US, ASEAN, Australia, Japan, EU and South Korea. The idea was to widen the depth and breadth of our trading relationships.

It has been some time since the last evolution of our foreign policy. This is basically how it is framed today:

An independent foreign policy. The Philippines maintains an independent stance in international affairs. It does not bend to the will of other nations. It upholds its national sovereignty, protects its territorial integrity and pursues its national interest without undue external influence.

Regional engagement. The Philippines places significant importance on regional cooperation and engagement, particularly with ASEAN.

Bilateral relations. The Philippines will maintain diplomatic relations with numerous countries. It continues to establish friendly and constructive relations with others on the principles of mutual respect, non-interference and equality. Key bilateral relationships are those with the US, ASEAN, Australia, Japan, EU and South Korea.

Territorial disputes. The Philippines has territorial disputes with China. It will pursue a multi-faceted approach involving diplomacy, legal arbitration and regional cooperation. The Philippines also emphasizes the importance of upholding international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas, in resolving maritime disputes.

Economic diplomacy. The Philippines seeks to attract foreign investments, promote trade and enhance economic cooperation. It actively engages in regional economic initiatives and pursues bilateral agreements to boost development and create opportunities for its citizens.

Peace & security. The Philippines values peace and stability within its borders and in the broader international context. It engages in efforts to resolve conflicts, combat terrorism and promote disarmament. The country will continue to be involved in international peacekeeping missions.

Our foreign policy is due to evolve yet again in response to the changing times. It has to, since there are compelling factors to contend with.

Foremost among them is China’s increasing aggression and expansionist policy, the Ukraine war and tensions over the economic and geopolitical rivalry between the US and China. Exacerbating the complexity of the times are the rise of disruptive technologies like robotics and artificial intelligence, rising protectionism among nations, the advent of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

All these mean that the Philippines will likely redefine its foreign policy yet again. Four things are certain, moving forward.

One, the economic interest of the nation shall remain primordial. Two, our foreign policy will always be skewed towards fostering peace simply because our economic goals can only be attained in an environment of stability. Three, our foreign policy will always perpetuate free trade and globalization since the Philippines benefits from access to technologies, export markets and bilateral cooperation. And four, there is much room for expanding economic diplomacy and the Philippines will take advantage of it through active engagement.

I reckon we can expect tweaks in our foreign policy in the near future.

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Email: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @aj_masigan