I am appalled by China’s leader Xi Jinping’s threat to go to war against the Philippines, after our beloved President Duterte told him that the Philippines would be drilling for oil in the West Philippine Sea which China includes in its “9-dash line” or territorial claims in the South China Sea.
Our President has shown only great diplomacy in handling our relationship with China, even to the chagrin of many of us. But enough is enough. We will not take this matter sitting down. We may not have the military might to fight China, but we have the following:
1. the United Nations-backed decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which is favorable to us;
2. good relations with our Asean neighbors;
3. great, worldwide respect for our President;
4. our loving God Almighty Whom we love and serve.
My humble suggestion is, we fight in the economic front. As one country and as individuals:
1. Let’s stop importing/buying products from China;
2. Let’s not do business with China—e.g., no traveling or vacationing to China
3. Unite with our friends in Asia in imposing a trade embargo against China. Let’s not do any business with China.
The products of China are inferior copycats of American products, whose “blueprints and labor business” the United States stupidly shared with that nation. And now America owes China so heavily—in trillions of US dollars. Not only that, many of the “food products” China sells to us are not really food, they are mixed with plastic and cardboard; and the China-made toys are heavily laced with toxic lead. So who needs Chinese products or China for that matter.
I myself have boycotted “Made in China” products and scrapped China from my list of possible vacation getaways. Why spend my hard-earned money for the benefit of an enemy who wants to wage war on us and occupy our territories.
Little David defeated the giant Goliath who profaned God, and threatened and belittled His people. I say to China: You, too, face destruction, pestilence, natural calamities, economic collapse and defeat if you continue to bully the Philippines, our nation, this nation that serves and praises the Living God in Jesus’ mighty name.
ROSEMARIE MIRANDA LIM
lim.rml@gmail.com