China's Xu Shixiao and Sun Mengya defended their Olympic title in the women's canoe double 500m final at the Paris Olympics on Friday.
The pair stormed to victory with an Olympic best of 1 minute and 52.81 seconds, 1.49 seconds ahead of Ukraine's Liudmyla Luzan and Anastasiia Rybachok. Canada's Sloan Mackenzie and Katie Vincent took the bronze.
From the heats and semifinals to the final, they broke the Olympic record three straight times, underlining their dominance in the canoe sprint event.
Despite tailwinds creating some of the roughest conditions yet, Xu and Sun had an impressive start. However, the Canadian team kept the competition tight before falling behind in the final stretch.
Since pairing up in 2019, the Chinese duo have maintained an undefeated record in major international competitions. They have won three consecutive Canoe Sprint World Championships and claimed the gold medal in the sprint event at the Tokyo Olympics, marking the first-ever Olympic gold for the Chinese canoe spring team.
Reflecting on her Olympic journey, Xu said winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics could have marked a perfect ending to her career, but she felt a strong attachment to her nearly flawless partnership with Sun.
"After the Tokyo Olympics, I could have retired, but I wanted to make my life even more fulfilling. Finding a great partner is rare, and I hope to stay with my partner and become the first women in canoe sprint to win Olympic gold in two consecutive Games," said the 32-year-old Xu, who plans to retire after the Paris Games.
On Thursday, China's Liu Hao and Ji Bowen claimed gold in the men's canoe double 500m final.
Team China secured qualification for all 10 events in the canoe sprint discipline for the Paris Games, underscoring China's strength and depth in the sport.
China’s State Administration for Market Regulation issued a draft rule on Friday confirming the penalty benchmark for monopolistic behavior by companies, ranging from 1 million yuan ($139,600.5) to 4 million yuan, based on the degree of violation of the nation’s anti-monopoly laws.
The draft rule shows there is an improving market regulation system in China, Liu Dingding, a veteran industry observer, told the Global Times on Friday.
The preliminary amount of the fines will be determined in stages. For cases without the effect of severely excluding or restricting market competition, the preliminary fines will be set at 2.5 million yuan.
Business entities that report their monopolistic practices to the market regulator and that take measures to rectify the situation will be exempted from penalties.
China’s State Council, the cabinet, unveiled revised rules on January 26 this year for declaration standards in this area.
The revised rules are meant to ease market access, reduce institutional transaction costs, make anti-monopoly and law enforcement oversight more efficient, and promote mergers and acquisitions, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Chinese analysts warned that Manila is likely to be more proactive in the South China Sea to undermine the goodwill of China in calming tensions, after a senior official from the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs said a provisional arrangement on humanitarian resupply of living necessities to a Philippine warship illegally grounded at Ren'ai Reef may be subject to future review.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Maria Theresa Lazaro said the understanding with China did not compromise the Philippines' South China Sea position and could be re-evaluated if needed. "The review will be there. When that will be is subject to further discussion," Lazaro told Reuters on the sidelines of a congressional hearing.
The provisional arrangement with the Philippines on humanitarian resupply of living necessities to a Philippine warship illegally grounded at Ren'ai Reef was reached in July after China engaged in a series of consultations with the Philippines on managing the situation at Ren'ai Reef.
The two sides agreed to jointly manage differences on maritime issues and work toward de-escalation in the South China Sea, which observers regard as a promising step to calm tensions in the region.
The comment from the senior Philippines official and the recent provocations in other islands of South China Sea clearly reflects that the Philippines has no intention to diminish the tensions, Chen Xiangmiao, director of the World Navy Research Center at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
The Philippines is planning to send a second coast guard vessel to anchor in the lagoon in China's Xianbin Jiao (also known as Xianbin Reef) in the South China Sea in an attempt to construct a forward deployment base in the form of a semi-permanent floating platform, the Global Times learned from a source familiar with the matter on Wednesday.
Manila is attempting to expand its illegal occupation of China's Xianbin Jiao, a move that seriously violates China's territorial sovereignty, Chinese experts said, noting that China will not let this take place.
Manila does not cherish China's efforts to deescalate the tension by allowing humanitarian resupply of living necessities to the Philippine warship illegally grounded at Ren'ai Reef, and is even behaving boldly by inciting a series of flare-ups over the South China Sea, Chen said.
"Manila's strategy is in line with the US' 'Indo-Pacific Strategy.' We should be vigilant in case Manila takes more small steps clandestinely to incite tension and attempt to bargain with China," Chen said.
A Philippine Air Force NC-212 aircraft illegally intruded into the airspace over Huangyan Dao in the South China Sea on August 8, interfering with China's regular training activities despite repeated warnings from the Chinese side.
However, the Philippine Navy criticized the recent actions of the Chinese air force as "coercive, aggressive, and deceptive", media reports said.
"It is an old trick of the Philippines, taking a blatant provocation first and then portraying itself as a victim to the international community to gain sympathy," Chen said.
In light of the "cunning" tactics of the Philippines, observers emphasized the importance for China to maintain its redline.
In the event of additional provocations, China should increase surveillance not only around Ren'ai Reef but also at Xianbin Reef, Huangyan Island and other areas in the South China Sea.
The Fujian Coast Guard lawfully sent back four Taiwan fishing boat crew members on Tuesday, while another person suspected of illegal fishing remains under further investigation, according to a statement from the China Coast Guard (CCG).
The statement came after the Fujian Coast Guard seized a fishing vessel of Taiwan on July 2 for alleged illegal fishing activities. The mainland coast guard lawfully boarded and inspected the vessel in waters near the coastal city of Quanzhou, and found the vessel was carrying five crew members and 1,335 kilograms of fish.
Following a preliminary investigation, four crew members were found to have committed minor violations and were not held criminally responsible. They were arranged to return to Taiwan on Tuesday, the CCG confirmed.
According to the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, the captain surnamed Hong was still under investigation.
Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said on Tuesday that mainland authorities attach great importance to the protection of fishery resources and the maintenance of normal order in related sea areas. The mainland coast guard operated in accordance with the law, and also safeguarded the legitimate rights and interests of the crew members.
According to the CCG on July 3, the Taiwan vessel violated the seasonal fishing ban, and the gear used was much smaller than the minimum mesh size required by regulations, posing a threat to marine fishery resources and the environment.
An interim government will be set up to run Bangladesh after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned Monday amid protests in the South Asian country, according to army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman.
Zaman made the remarks in a broadcast to the nation on state television on Monday afternoon. He said Hasina has resigned, which confirmed media reports earlier about Hasina's step-down.
"We will form an interim government," said the army chief.
There will be no need to impose a state of emergency if the situation gets better, said Zaman.
Hasina, 76, took office for her fourth straight five-year term as the country's prime minister in January this year after her ruling Bangladesh Awami League (AL) party won a landslide victory in the parliamentary elections.
China's elderly care sector is ushering in an era of accelerated development empowered by artificial intelligence (AI) innovations, with a variety of "AI + elderly care" solutions such as nursing robots, smartphones for seniors and other assisting digital technologies being increasingly adopted to provide better services at affordable prices for seniors.
China's aging population now represents a growing challenge, and government officials at all levels are making policy adjustments and adopting accommodative measures to deal with a constantly changing demographic structure.
The Third Plenum of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee held in July vowed to ramp up efforts to refine the policies and mechanisms for developing elderly care programs and related industries, which is expected to create new opportunities for domestic and foreign enterprises, analysts said.
Developing the silver economy plays an important role in the country's active response to the aging population, expanding domestic demand and achieving high-quality development. Analysts predict that the number of people aged 60 and above will reach 500 million by 2050, which will unleash vast potential for a wide array of emerging industries and services.
Innovative services
During the World Artificial Intelligence Conference held in Shanghai in July, Shanghai-based Dataa Robotics unveiled its advanced humanoid robot - the XR4. The 5.5-foot, 75-kilogram robot can handle delicate tasks like baking bread, becoming a highlight at the event.
"The application of AI in the field of elderly care is a long-term development process. The XR4 is a 'robot nanny' that is suitable for elderly care," Wang Bin, vice president of Dataa, told the Global Times.
Wang said the company's robots have been deployed in a number of nursing homes in cities including Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province, and Wuhan in Central China's Hubei Province.
No matter it is long-distance inquiry or guardian service or call service, Dataa robots provided outstanding performance, Wang said, noting that the combination of new technology and elderly care service could offer a new window for the development of the elderly care sector in China. With a rapidly aging population, there is a burgeoning demand in China for innovative and comprehensive elderly care services.
Recently, Shanghai launched a comprehensive action plan to revolutionize elderly care services in the city, aiming to harness cutting-edge technology to enhance the quality of life for seniors and emerge as a global leader in technological innovation and industrial advancement in elderly care by 2027.
Specifically, the plan highlights the integration of AI, calling for the development of AI models and algorithms for voice, facial, emotion and motion recognition and environmental perception.
"The overall development of the silver economy in China remains in its infancy. The silver economy involves all industries, and the scale, structure and quality of eldercare products and services must be transformed and improved to be suitable for the aged," Yuan Xin, deputy head of the China Population Association and a demographist from Nankai University in North China's Tianjin, told the Global Times.
The integrated development of AI in eldercare industry will bridge the digital divide for the elderly, Yuan said.
According to a report released by the China Research Center on Aging, the country's elderly care services have growing market demand, involving healthcare management, technology aid for the elderly, and financial support for the industry.
Market potential
"The development of silver economy has become an important task for China to actively deal with the aging population problem, expand domestic demand, and strive for high-quality development," Yuan said.
Yuan projected that people aged 60 and above in China will likely reach 520 million by 2050, accounting for over 40 percent of the country's population. He called for a scientific decision-making process based on real demographic structural changes, when formulating new policies.
In January, the State Council, the country's cabinet, published a document on the development of the silver economy - the first use of the term in the central government document - as the country aims to unlock rapid development of potential in the silver economy, will draw investment from foreign enterprises.
It said that efforts should also focus on nurturing new business models to govern smart health and elderly care, as exemplified by the development of nursing and housekeeping robots, along with biotech solutions that help alleviate age-related illnesses. Meanwhile, financial institutions are encouraged to launch more products to aid the elderly.
"Due to drastic demographic changes, it is urgent and strategically important for China to actively promote the development of the silver economy," said Zhou Maohua, an economist from China Everbright Bank.
Zhou said there are shortages in the supply of high-quality elderly care services, and filling up for the shortages will help improve the well-being and unlocking vast domestic market potential. As a result, developing the silver economy will help accelerate China's economic recovery and the economy's long-term sustainable development.
According to a study report provided by market consultancy iiMedia Research to the Global Times, China's elderly care market grew by 16.5 percent to reach 12 trillion yuan in 2023, and could reach 13.9 trillion yuan in 2024 and more than 20 trillion yuan by 2027.
With China's silver economy is becoming increasingly digital and intelligent, a growing number of foreign enterprises have recently increased their investment in the sector. For example, Chinese pension insurer Guomin Pension & Insurance Co announced in June that German investment firm Allianz Global Investors GmbH will become a strategic investor in Guomin, pending approval by the National Financial Regulatory Administration.
"Allianz Global Investors is committed to the growth in China, we are dedicated to exploring suitable business opportunities and partnerships in this important market," the company told the Global Times in an interview.
After well-known Chinese woman swimmer Zhang Yufei expressed her craving on Monday for Luosifen, or river snail rice noodles, a beloved street food in Liuzhou city, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, local officials wasted no time in making her wish a reality.
Zhang clinched one silver and five bronze medals at the Paris Olympic Games, totaling six medals. In an interview after a pool competition in Paris, she expressed her strong desire to savor the delicious flavors of Luosifen.
Director of the Liuzhou Municipal Bureau of Commerce, Yang Zhigang, who learnt of the news, said he would "arrange it right away."
The bureau then organized a shipment of Luosifen, which was sealed and sent to Zhang's hometown in East China's Jiangsu Province. On the sealed side of the express delivery receipt, in addition to the printed address and name, there is a special inscription that reads "Bringing glory to the country. You have worked hard!" paying tribute to Zhang ad other Olympic athletes, as reported by local media.
This shipment of Luosifen, representing the sentiments of the people of Liuzhou, is expected to be delivered on Thursday, according to media reports, as Zhang will be able to enjoy the delicious Luosifen as soon as she returns home.
According to media reports, five vehicles carrying 125 boxes totaling 1,000 bags of Luosifen also set off from Liuzhou on Tuesday, and will be delivered to Beijing in three days.
Chinese athletes' outstanding performance at the Paris Olympics has become a hot topic of discussion among the public, and it has also boosted sales of equipment such as tennis rackets and swimming goggles.
More than 2 million people searched for equipment related to sports such as tennis, table tennis and badminton from Saturday to Monday, data from Tmall showed on Tuesday, with the search volume for tennis-related equipment increasing by 300 percent year-on-year, followed by a 234 percent rise in searches for table tennis-related equipment, and 98 percent for badminton-related equipment.
At the same time, the year-on-year transaction growth rate of the three types of such products exceeded 100 percent.
The search fever came after tennis player Zheng Qinwen defeated Donna Vekic of Croatia 6-2, 6-3 to win women's singles gold at the Paris Olympics on Saturday. It was China's first ever tennis singles gold medal at the Olympics.
China's Fan Zhendong won the table tennis men's singles gold medal on Sunday. Earlier, swimmer Pan Zhanle set a new world record as he stormed to victory in the men's 100m freestyle final on Wednesday.
On Tmall, Wilson's official flagship store is selling "Zheng Qinwen same style" professional tennis racket, the V14, which received more than 40,000 inquiries within 48 hours, and the transaction volume soared by more than 2,000 percent year-on-year.
Even the cheering uniform worn by the coach of Zheng Qinwen also became popular, as netizens jokingly called it "gold medal T-shirt." Within 48 hours, more than 20,000 people inquired about this T-shirt at the Tmall Nike flagship store, and more than 4,000 people purchased it.
On Speedo's official flagship store on Tmall, the number of views of Pan Zhanle's same style of swimming goggles increased by more than 100 percent, and the transaction volume increased by nearly 150 percent.
Study tours have gained popularity in China in recent years as Chinese parents invest more in the well-rounded education of their children. But the industry encountered controversies this year due to reports of overly high cost and disappointing arrangements. Given expanding market and following chaos, more parents and experts are calling for rational choices to avoid being caught up by comparing mentality.
When visiting Tsinghua University on August 1, the Global Times reporter found that dozens of elementary school students dressed in graduation gowns were lining up at the front gate of the university, one of China's most internationally famous universities, to take pictures.
Inside the Tsinghua campus, teenage students were everywhere taking pictures, walking or bicycling among the buildings.
The scene echoed media reports and data from travel platforms, demonstrating that study tour, or educational tour, has become a main part of this summer's tourism market in China.
According to a report from Ctrip, a major Chinese online travel booking platform, orders of parent-child educational products for summer holidays via the platform increased by 70 percent year-on-year. Data from another travel platform Fliggy also showed that, after the summer holiday of Chinese schools kicked off in early July, the search popularity for "educational travel" on the platform has increased by over 60 percent compared to last year.
Historical and cultural cities are the first choice for parent-child educational trips in the summer, with Beijing and Xi'an topping the popularity list. Landmark scenic spots that have appeared in the textbooks of Chinese elementary and middle schools are favored by these groups, according to data from Tongcheng Travel.
Museums, nature and rural areas are also among the most popular destinations, people.cn reported citing Tongcheng Travel.
A notable trend in this year's educational tour market is the tour to some famous Chinese hi-tech companies like new-energy vehicle (NEV) maker NIO and artificial intelligence company iFlytek. Such tours could provide students an opportunity to get a direct and deep sight into companies and the process of scientific research and development, which will not only help popularize science, but inspire these students in career choice, according to experts.
Some parents send their children to educational tours as they need some people to take care of their children while ensuring their safety. "My son can travel with many peers of his age, and at the same time, he can learn something," a mother in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province, told the Global Times.
Others choose education tours as they want their children to get a deeper understanding of their interests. A mother in Shenzhen calling herself Xi Xi told the Global Times that she once sent her son to a dragon boat educational tour and her son learned a lot about the history and culture of dragon boats. "This made me feel that educational tours are really helpful for my children," Xi Xi said.
According Xi Xi, she and her husband used to take their son on their own to go travel, driving to Xizang, walking through deserts and rain forests, in order to widen their son's horizon. But when it comes to knowledge, especially cultural and historical knowledge, she and her husband felt helpless as they did not how to teach their son. This is when they turned to educational tours.
This summer, Xi Xi sent her 8-year-old son to an educational tour to Beijing. According to her, there were professional guides in the tour to explain cultural and historical knowledge during the tour. "They also invite a professor from Peking University to deliver a speech at the opening ceremony of the tour."
The six-day-five-night tour in Beijing cost Xi Xi about 7,000 yuan ($981.8), excluding transportation cost. This package includes a visit to the Universal Beijing Resort. The package excludes the Universal Beijing Resort is 2,000 yuan cheaper.
The price of a standard day ticket to the Universal Beijing Resort is less than 500 yuan. The Global Times found on Tongcheng Travel that a normal six-day-five-night group tour, including visit to the National Museum, the Forbidden City and the Universal Resort, is priced 4,015 yuan.
For Xi Xi, the extra money for her son's educational tour is worth as it did play an educational role. "It is an independent tour. My son also learned how to take care of himself like washing clothes this time. So, overall, it met my expectations," Xi Xi said.
Some parents got disappointed when they found the tour was not as educational as they expected. According to media reports, some educational tours would only take students to the outside of Tsinghua University to take pictures as they, in fact, did not have official cooperation with the university and were not able to take so many students into the campus all at once. Tsinghua requires real-name reservation for entry and only opens 12,000 reservation vacancies per day for the public from July 15 to August 11.
The Global Times learned from some Tsinghua students that some education tour organizers have tried to find Tsinghua students to help them take tour attendants into the campus. Tsinghua students would get punished once being found doing so.
The quality of some so-called professional teachers in educational tours organized by tour agencies are also questionable as media revealed that the certificate for a professional educational tour guide can be bought at about 1,000 yuan.
Chaos arose along with the rapid expansion of the market.
According to media reports, there were more than 29,000 existing educational tour-related enterprises in China in 2023, with 49.4 percent of them established within the past 1 to 5 years. a Report of market consultancy iiMedia Research said that educational tour market has reached 146.9 billion yuan in 2023, and is expected to reach 242.2 billion yuan by 2026.
More and more Chinese schools and other educational bases like museums are also organizing educational campuses as, in December 2016, Chinese authorities issued guidelines to encourage educational tour activities in the county as a bid to promote well-rounded education of Chinese students.
Educational travel itself is a new way of learning, an important component of quality education, and complementary to school learning. It can help students to develop potential in various aspects, Chu Zhaohui, a research fellow at the National Institute of Education Sciences, told the Global Times.
Chu suggests parents choose educational tour based on children's interests rather thanfollowing other parents, avoiding getting trapped by unnecessary anxiety caused by comparing mentality.
"Parents need to choose educational trips that suit children's interests and hobbies, as well as the growth goals you want your children to achieve. After making a choice, parents and children also need to prepare for safety, travel knowledge, and so on. For parents, don't just follow the trend, but consult your children's opinions at first," Chu noted.
Experts also stressed that educational tours should focus on providing high-quality and enriching experiences for participants. This can be achieved through collaboration with reputable institutions and the implementation of strict regulations to ensure the safety and educational value of these tours.
By emphasizing the importance of education and cultural exchange, these tours can have a lasting impact on individuals and contribute to the overall development of society in a long run, they said.
The escalation of recent tensions between China and the Philippines raises concerns among neighboring countries in the South China Sea. How will the Philippines' provocations, instigated and supported by the US, affect the situation in the South China Sea in the rest of 2024? Why does ASEAN hope that the situation will be contained?
In the "ASEAN Perspective on the South China Sea" series, we collect wisdom and insights from former diplomats and scholars from ASEAN member countries. In an interview with Global Times (GT) reporter Wang Wenwen, University of Philippines Professor Roland Simbulan (Simbulan) criticized the Philippines' Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the US and argued that the EDCA sites undermine the Philippines' sovereignty and expose the country to potential attacks from America's geopolitical rivals.
The third edition of his book The Bases of Our Insecurity, which was first published in 1983, was launched recently. The book delves into the ramifications of foreign military bases in the Philippines.
GT: Why are you critical of US military bases in the Philippines?
Simbulan: I've always been critical of foreign military presence in our territory. I feel that it is not the right policy to invite a foreign power to deploy bases and troops in one's territory for external defense because they are far from being able to secure your national security. This actually endangers the country's security and its people as the foreign power putting their troops and bases in your territory has enemies, which will soon become your enemies.
For example, in the case of the US, especially now in the new era, what are the current enemies of the US which it could possibly go to war against? In addition to China, there is Russia and also North Korea. And the foreign bases in our territory, in fact, would even endanger our security as we would become some kind of a magnet of attack.
Military-to-military agreements that we have in the Philippines, like the EDCA for example, can only be useful if they are used to strengthen local defense and security forces. We must develop our own capability, maybe with the help of our friends and allies, with whom we have some agreements, either bilateral or multilateral.
But what I'm critical about is the fact that we depend on a foreign power to take care of our external defense. I'm not against having agreements with other countries. What I'd like to see is that these agreements would be able to be used to strengthen our own capability, so that we will have our own modern external defense capability to defend ourselves and not depend on another country, which makes us very vulnerable. It compromises our diplomacy.
Former leaders of Vietnam who led their liberation struggle against the US said that if they only had the capability during the Vietnam War, they would have attacked and struck at the US military bases in the Philippines because they knew that these were being used to bomb their country. The Clark Air Base and Subic Bay Naval Base were actively used as the launching pads and spring boards for American forces to attack Vietnam. It compromised our foreign policy and our relations with Vietnam. We had nothing against the Vietnamese people, but our territory was being used against them. According to these former Vietnamese leaders, they would have hit back if they had the capability then, but at that time they did not.
Now, the situation is different with the enemies of the US which have modern capabilities of striking back if they are attacked.
GT: Several military bases under EDCA are located very close to Taiwan island. The Philippine Ambassador to the US stated in late June that if a conflict breaks out in the Taiwan Straits, Manila may allow the US to use its military bases. How do you evaluate the Philippines' assertive stance on the Taiwan question, and what consequences could it bring to the Philippines?
Simbulan: I don't think the Philippines is in a position to leverage the Taiwan question. But right now, as I see it, it is actually helping the US because, through the EDCA, it has allowed the US to use our territory to set up its bases and install its troops. That already compromises our territory and security. I think even the Philippine government is aware that the US has the intention of using these EDCA bases in the Philippines to interfere should there be a conflict over Taiwan question with China, or should there be a conflict between the US and China in the South China Sea. In fact, we are already allowing our territory to be used as a launching pad and springboard for a foreign country against another country and against a neighbor. This has compromised our national security and even our diplomacy.
I also believe that is what complicates our bilateral ties with China today.
GT: There are some comparisons between the tensions in the South China Sea and the Ukraine crisis, with the fear that the Philippines could become the next Ukraine. What is your view on this? How should the Philippines avoid such a scenario?
Simbulan: As you can see, the policy of the current Philippine government is much different from that of the former administration of president Rodrigo Duterte, who at first was even planning to abrogate some of our military agreements with the US like the Visiting Forces Agreement. There have been high-profile reports about what is happening in the South China Sea, not just in the Western media, but also in the Philippine media.
There is a lot of pressure on the Philippine government to respond to this. And the easiest way is to have this high-profile shift in our policy, which is to invite the US back to the Philippines, through installing military bases and troops, and also engage in regular and frequent joint military exercises.
The Philippine government, in the case of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., needs the US support as insurance for the internal politics in the Philippines. The US is very influential in the armed forces of the Philippines as it provides weapons and training for our armed forces.
In my book, I made the point that we thought deployment of foreign troops was good for us, but in the long run, it's going to influence and even compromise our internal stability as well as external capability. That's why a few years ago during the time of president Duterte, to help solve our problem in the South China Sea, I was proposing during the talks in ASEAN, that there should be a collective agreement that no ASEAN country could allow foreign troops to be deployed in their territory or no foreign military bases or facilities are to be used or directed against another neighbor because that will compromise the ASEAN countries' interests, and even make them possible targets in the conflict between the two big powers, the US and China.
GT: Do you think the Philippines' high-profile stance in the South China Sea will affect ASEAN as a whole?
Simbulan: Among the 10 member countries of ASEAN, there are disagreements. Many of these ASEAN countries do not want to openly disagree with China because they are trading heavily with China. They receive many tourists from China or their economy is very much dependent on China. However, some other countries don't want to antagonize the US.
Everybody has a stake here in what's happening in the South China Sea. This must be resolved peacefully through negotiations and diplomacy because if something happens here and gets out of control, everybody will be affected. For me, personally, I would prefer that we just have competition through business, trade and markets. It is better to compete that way or negotiate and talk. Sometimes we may say harsh words against each other, but it is important to remember that our disagreements should not escalate to violence. If that happens, it will be too late. Look at what's happening in Ukraine. It's getting out of control, and it's the Ukrainian people and the countries around Ukraine who are suffering as the conflict is affecting their economies, and the livelihood of their people.
There is still a lot of time for dialogue and negotiation. I want to mention to you a model that I wrote recently, a model for ASEAN. I wrote an article recently regarding Vietnam's foreign policy, which I believe should be a good model for ASEAN countries to follow. This is with regards to the foreign policy of Vietnam that they refer to as the "four nos." One, no foreign military agreements with one country against another. Second, no foreign military bases and troops by one power against another. Third, no use of their territory to attack another country. Lastly, no use of force, and instead, diplomacy and negotiation should be employed in the conduct of international relations. We should use that as a model in order to maintain peace and security in our region.
