Co-existence - On The Dispute Between The Philippines and China

Former President Ferdinand Marcos once said in his State of the Nation Address in 1969…

“We, in Asia, must strive towards a modus Vivendi with Red China. I reiterate this need, which is becoming more urgent each day.

“Before long, Communist China will have increased its striking power a thousand fold with a sophisticated delivery system for its nuclear weapons.

“We must prepare for that day. We must prepare to co-exist peaceably with Communist China.”

I am afraid his words were becoming real, considering the fact that China and the Philippines is still disputing the claim for the Spratlys since 2014, and currently even Taiwan is attempting to claim some parts of Batanes. 

And now that China is currently reclaiming each island and building military bases, and that the warships of the United States is currently on standby, I am sensing an imminent conflict... which I am afraid will lead to the much-feared World War III.

But how can we prevent this from happening? Although it may seems like I am siding with China, this does not necessarily mean I am indeed (I am still proud to be Filipino, yet fighting against an emerging superpower for me is still not a good option). However, I think that the only way to prevent the war from happening is, like what Marcos had said, having the Philippines and China co-exist peacefully.

What do I mean by this? Let me give you an example. Most of us do not know that there is a small country in Europe they call Andorra. It is a principality whose government is unique than anyone else, because there are two sovereign rulers who govern the country side by side. One is the President of France. The other is the Bishop of Urgell in Catalonia, Spain.

Map of Andorra with its flag inside the silhouette.

According to tradition, the great Frankish king Charlemagne granted a charter to the Andorrans as a reward for their assistance in fighting the Moors. The overlordship was initially belonged to Borell II, Count of Urgell, which, in 988 eventually handed over the Andorran valleys to the Diocese of Urgell in exchange for land in Cerdanya. Since then, the Diocese of Urgell owned Andorra, with its Bishop, based in Seu d'Urgell, being head of state.

Prior to 1095, Andorra lacked any military protection. The Bishop of Urgell, upon realizing that the Count will attempt to reclaim Andorra, seeked help from the Lord of Caboet, a nobleman from Catalonia. In 1095, the Lord of Caboet and the Bishop of Urgell signed under oath a declartion of co-sovereignty over Andorra. In the process, Arnalda, the daughter of Arnau of Caboet, married the Viscount of Castellbò, thus both became Viscounts of Castellbò and Cerdanya. Several years later, their daughter, Ermessenda, married Roger Bernat II, the French Count of Foix, thus becoming Roger Bernat II and Ermessenda I, Counts of Foix, Viscounts of Castellbò and Cerdanya, and co-sovereigns of Andorra (shared with the Bishop of Urgell).

However, in the 11th century, a dispute arose between the Bishop of Urgell and the Count of Foix, which was eventually resolved in 1278, with the mediation of Aragon by signing of the firstparéage which provided that Andorra's sovereignty be shared between the count of Foix and the Bishop of Urgell in Catalonia.

With the passage of time the French co-title to Andorra passed on to the kings of Navarre. After Henry of Navarre became King Henry IV of France, he issued an edict in 1607 that established the head of the French state and the Bishop of Urgell as co-princes of Andorra. This edict had survived despite France being transformed from a monarchy to a republic. Thus today, the President of France is regarded as a co-prince of Andorra. This may look peculiar to many, as it looked like the French President, in his capacity as co-prince, is an elected reigning monarch, though he is not actually elected by popular vote of the Andorrans.

Due to this co-existence between two heads of state, while we say this little country is neither considered a middle power nor a third-world country, no one can ever deny that Andorra is a peaceful nation that rely mainly on tourism, thanks to its form of government that began almost a millenium ago.

Though the history of Andorra and the current conflict in the Spratlys are entirely different cases, this form of dual sovereignty is the co-existence that I envisioned for Spratlys for both China and the Philippines. And this is not just between the two, but also other countries who claim some portions of the island group, such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei. Co-existence can also be applied to the Philippines and Malaysia regarding Sabah, China and Japan regarding the Senkaku Islands, and China, Taiwan and Vietnam regarding the Paracel Islands.

In order to materialize this vision, the first thing both countries must do is to tone down their respective national pride. For many centuries I am aware that the Chinese are very nationalistic, so as we Filipinos. However, this actually does not help at all. It only makes the conflict get worse. What both countries need to do is to continue the negotiations and set up a master plan for Spratlys to make it as profitable and beneficial as possible for both of them in the long run. A good example of which is establishing businesses within the island group, so both countries can provide more jobs for both nationalities.

While this may be just my vision in order to end any impending conflict, however, I truly admit that I do not have enough voice to hear my message, because I am just a common man, yet wanting to make a difference for the world. But God only knows for sure. If co-existence will happen, I am confident we can attain everlasting peace.

I, the Pooch, have spoken.