New but old hand

The appointment of Sonia Brady as ambassador to Beijing comes amid the worsening territorial dispute between China and the Philippines over the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal. It should equip Manila with a creditable diplomat who could troubleshoot the most contentious issue while firmly anchoring relations between the two countries.

Brady is an old Chinese hand, having been envoy to Beijing from 2006 to 2010 and before that, foreign undersecretary for policy. She’s a retired career official brought back to the service. As an indication of how well she’s regarded and how someone with her expertise is needed at this most edgy period of Philippine-Chinese relations, the Commission on Appointments (CA) waived the requirement for the publication of her appointment as ambassador, swiftly confirming her within an hour of open discussion.

In appointing Brady to Beijing, President Aquino has let go of family friend Domingo Lee, who went through a rough time in the bicameral CA which bypassed him several times while the Panatag and Spratlys disputes raged on, for his alleged inexperience. It is said that Lee himself asked the President to let go of him after that latest instance the CA deferred his appointment. The Chinese-Filipino businessman and the President saw the light of day: Political kinship and ties should give way to expert diplomacy that a veteran career diplomat like Brady certainly embodies.

Lee had obviously been appointed envoy because of his business background. He had been expected to foster wider economic relations with Beijing amid the rise of China as the world’s second biggest economy. As an indication of how Mr. Aquino wants the Philippines to engage with China economically, Lee has been appointed to China for tourism. Earlier, the President had appointed Cesar Zalamea ambassador to China for trade affairs.

But economic diplomacy should be conducted within the wider purview of principled and balanced diplomacy. To conduct diplomacy based solely on mutual economic interests would not only be foolhardy, it would be fatal.

It was President Fidel Ramos who, in the early 1990s, emphasized economics as the fulcrum of our relations with China. Back then the two countries had a diplomatic tit-for-tat over the Spratlys and Panatag, but the conflicts didn’t affect trade relations. Two decades later, economic relations have become robust but the territorial rows have worsened. Meanwhile, the Philippines has become more and more economically dependent on China. Obviously Manila has conducted its diplomacy based largely on commercial terms without taking into consideration geopolitical elements that may later prove to be to its disadvantage.

But it would be naïve to think that Manila is now playing catch-up and may reverse the situation. After all, Brady had been envoy to China during that period in which economic relations with Beijing had been allowed to thrive while the geopolitical determinants had been left to oblivion. However, what she brings to her old post as head of the Beijing mission are firmness, composure and expertise. She told the CA that there’s need to “de-escalate” the tension between the two countries. She explained that there’s need to “turn off the fire” so both countries could “talk and find a solution to the problem.”

Beijing has indicated that the return of Brady to the Chinese mission would improve the situation. A CA member, Nueva Ecija Rep. Rodolfo Antonino, noted that the Chinese ambassador has welcomed the appointment, and that “is not normal for a government to express its approval of a nomination in advance…. I think that shows the importance that the Chinese government is putting (on the disputes)…. And we need a competent and well-respected career ambassador in Beijing as soon as possible.”

But considering the past, would economic ties continue to be vigorous despite the worsening territorial dispute? Not anymore. Beijing has acquired economic self-confidence that it can now risk withdrawing its tourists from visiting our islands and halting its import of Philippine bananas. It has parlayed its economic strength into diplomatic muscle. It is apparent that China wields diplomacy also as a matter of political economy.

Brady timely fits into the picture, though facing a huge challenge. Her vast experience in diplomacy is reassuring.