Why is the U.S. sowing discord?

LAST JULY 12, after decades of taking the position that the U.S. does not take any sides in territorial disputes here in our South China Sea (SCS), or any other such disputes in any part of the world, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the U.S. is taking the side of all claimants against China.

Pompeo also announced the new official U.S. position that the claim by China over the ‘Nine-Dash-Line’ area is illegal based on the UNCLOS (U.N. Convention on the Laws of the Sea).

This is despite the US not being a party to the UNCLOS having failed to ratify it all these decades.

The UN has officially stated that it has nothing to do with the so-called judgment of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) that some Philippine officials said is a “victory” for its claims. Although many Filipinos now acknowledged the UN position, many others are still confused about the situation due to the misinformation by mainstream media.

I, along with many other journalists and clear-thinking Philippine diplomats and intellectuals, have tried very hard to inculcate in the public minds these two following facts: 1) the PCA is not a U.N. entity, and 2) the U.N. actual disowned the proceedings of the PCA.

What is the evidence? Two statements from U.N. officials.

The first is the clarification from retired UN International court of Justice (ICJ) Judge Abdul Koroma who on July 13, 2016, the day after the PCA verdict was announced, said “…the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) … has no correlation with the UN.” and if that isn’t enough, consider the next quote below:

Also a day later, the UN Secretary General’s spokesman, Stefan Dujarric, told the international media at his regular conference said, “… the UN doesn’t have a position on the legal and procedural merits of the case on the disputed claims…

“(T)he Secretary‑General has consistently called on all parties to resolve their dispute in a peaceful and amicable way through dialogue.”

The real position of the U.S. on the Philippine claims was explained by the downhearted Philippine Secretary of Defense Delfin Lorenzana, last February.

Reporting to the Philippine Senate on the result of his talks in the U.S. on his proposed review of the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) to include the areas claimed by the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea, Lorenzana wanted US guarantee to also defend Philippine these areas when attacked by another power.

We quote here Lorenzana’s words to the Senate, “To us, that is our territory, to you (Americans) it’s not. So there’s a disconnect between our interpretation of the MDT and yours.”

Lorenzana further explained that the US’ definition of “metropolitan Philippines” only covers the whole country and islands it occupies now, excluding the disputed areas in the WPS.

Why did US President Donald Trump, through Pompeo, made an about face on the U.S. position?

The simple reason is to create a scenario that some SCS claimant countries like the Philippines, or Vietnam, may be duped by American “assurance” into physically challenging China now. And maybe, “split” the ASEAN in the process.

Trump can then send his “cavalry”, i.e. US Navy, to confront China and make a scene, splash it on American media, rally the US. voters to the flag and save Trump’s sagging electoral hopes in November US presidential election.

Yes, these Americans take us Asians – especially Filipinos, for fools.

But it won’t work anymore in this Asian Century.

Asians, with China, have awakened and roar in freedom and independence from the hundreds of years of Western colonialism and neo-colonialism.