A concern of every nation

Dark clouds of war are fast gathering in the horizon, especially in “WW III hot spots” cited by former chief justice Artemio V. Panganiban, as follows: South China Sea (also called West Philippine Sea), East China Sea, Ukraine and the Middle East (Opinion, 5/31/15), the most volatile of which is the West Philippine Sea.

What appears to be like a small sore in the body, which can easily be cured by antibiotics (or bilateral talks) has become a festering boil fast gathering pus and ready to burst. Incidentally, the three major factors that contributed much to the outbreak of World War I are fast building up, foreshadowing a possible World War III. These are:

• Nationalism. Chinese patriotism has emboldened China’s government into bullying nations that lay claim to territories it also claims to own. And the principal victim of this bullying is the Philippines.
• Alliances. As an underdog, the Philippines has drawn sympathy from the G7, a group of industrialized nations, and has bound closely together the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Expected to be on China’s side are Russia and North Korea, to name two of its possible allies.
• Economic rivalry and territorial ambition. The United States, increasingly alarmed by the possible loss of freedom of navigation in the disputed areas, has asked China for an immediate and lasting halt to the reclamation work in the disputed territories. This US call has remained unheeded.

Certainly, no nation in its right senses, would risk war, considering the arsenal of lethal nuclear weapons several countries possess. These weapons are no laughing matter, they could blow us to kingdom come.

But why is China so stubborn in pushing its territorial pursuits and reclamation activities despite the calls from many concerned nations for their immediate cessation? Instead, China has gone full steam in building military facilities, even putting up an artillery on at least one disputed territory. Is this meant to scare rival claimant-nations and disguise its apparent interest in the reported abundant resources underneath the seabed of the contested areas?

If the United Nations cannot effectively thwart China from its belligerent contempt of international laws, then the G7 and the Asean should spearhead a crusade for peace among all peace-loving nations, to persuade or force China to dismantle the structures and avert the outbreak of

WW III. It is every nation’s concern to preserve, at all costs, lasting peace in order to save the world from destruction.

—ARMANDO LIBRANDO ALPAY, c/o [email protected]