What China can’t take from us

WE CANNOT expect to walk away unscathed if war broke out in the Asia-Pacific. And those who are calling for war or for a more hardline response to Chinese expansionism need to exercise their brain cells a bit to realize that China is a world superpower with nuclear warheads and a missile arsenal that could reach the Philippines from the mainland.

So what if we could easily retake our territories occupied by China? Our Philippine Marines can certainly do that. But haven’t we heard of the Falklands War where the Argentines took a remote United Kingdom colony 8,000 miles away? A retaliation is inevitable.

We appreciate the United States’ testing the waters with its patrols and surveillance activities in the disputed territories. We appreciate the “ironclad” commitment to defend an ally. But make no mistake, war will be fought on the land where

we reside.

But let us not forget that we are still fighting for what is ours, and China can only dream of conquering the moral high ground we have acquired.

—LUCIO R QUEVEDO, lucioquevedo@yahoo.com