EDITORIAL - Take up this issue and well

During the latest incident involving Philippine and Chinese ships in a disputed area in the West Philippine Sea, a Chinese Coast Guard ship cut across the bow of a Philippine Coast Guard ship patrolling off Panatag Shoal.

Cutting across the bow of another vessel isn’t something that is meant to provoke violent action. However, it is a common move when one vessel wants to disrupt the intended route of another. Or show domination.

This move from China came with their usual claim that our ship was intruding in an area that was part of Chinese territory, a claim that has been ruled illegal by international court.

Somehow we are lucky our brushes with China are limited to near collisions like these and incidents where our fishermen are barred from getting to their traditional fishing grounds, that China has not taken the violent path Russia decided to take in trying to expand its territory and with Ukraine as its victim.

Our dispute with China is something that we have to consider when it comes the time to cast our ballots this May. Our next president should be decisive and have a clear road map when it comes to settling our dispute with China over this territory.

We take issue with how this present administration treated the issue. No less than the president himself would call the judgment of the international arbitral ruling a mere piece of paper that he can just throw in the waste basket on one occasion, only to say during another occasion that it is one our biggest victories and that he would use it to our advantage.

It was constant flip-flops like these that made it clear there was no clear strategy where this issue was concerned. And perhaps it was this that emboldened China to push further and further into our territorial waters.

While it is true that there are other more pressing issues to consider when voting for the next chief executive, we should also not forget that a big part of the disputed area, among others, potentially holds resources that can make us rich.

Or make China rich, if we do nothing.