Mere lip service on China’s creeping invasion

In the news item “New potential irritant: PH to raise China buildup on Zamora Reef” (3/28/21), Philippine Ambassador to China Jose Sta. Romana was said to be poised to raise grave concerns over China’s new “‘construction activity’ on the island built by the Chinese on top of Zamora Reef” (which is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone) at a top-level meeting by Filipino and Chinese officials scheduled soon. Yeah, right!

Why does our Department of Foreign Affairs keep saying things all Filipinos know mean absolutely nothing, when it comes to matters concerning China’s “creeping invasion” in the West Philippine Sea? Its officials can waste all their saliva and the people’s money confabulating with their Chinese counterparts in very expensive venues regarding issues that only President Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping have any say on.

And given Mr. Duterte’s latest act of worshipping Xi after the latter “donated” vaccines to fight the disease it has spread around the globe, any such “diplomatic” protest amounts to nothing more than a charade. Thus, after surreptitiously taking the Julian Felipe Reef, which is within our territorial maritime zone, as “unofficial recompense” for such “generosity” (“‘Friend,’ indeed,” Editorial, 3/26/21), China is obviously targeting the Zamora Reef next. When are people ever going to wake up to the irreparable damage being done by this blatant “trampling of their sacred shores”?

ROGELIO S. CANDELARIO
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