MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte's foreign policy toward China, marked by his flip-flopping remarks on maritime concerns over the South China Sea and Benham Rise, still baffles observers. In contrast to the Aquino administration's predictable policy toward China, particularly on the South China Sea issue especially in its latter years, the Duterte government's approach has been largely inconsistent. "While the intentions are notably laudable, namely the pursuit of independence and equidistance from all major powers, there is current confusion stemming from policy incoherence, inconsistency, and seemingly uncoordinated implementation among government agencies," Arugay wrote in a China Policy Institute analysis. Heydarian suggested that while China is showing some good will in that respect, it also seems intent on expanding its footprint in the region, particularly in the South China Sea and Scarborough Shoal. "The way forward is to draw the line when necessary and make it clear that Chinese economic incentives aren't going to soften our resolve on defending our territorial integrity," Heydarian said.

Source: Philippine Star March 20, 2017 09:45 UTC