PNOY'S CHINA VISIT

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Shortly, President Aquino will return from his state visit to China. We do not have to wait for that to concede the success of this visit in that it was a timely gesture of friendship and goodwill towards the government and people of China, coming at a time when things tend to heat up between the two countries in view of resurfaced irritants in their relations. The reception and diplomatic "accommodations" extended to our President indicate that the gesture earned a reciprocal measure of goodwill and friendship from the Chinese as well and we should let things go at that. That is the total success package of the PNoy visit for now. If any change for the better in the relations of the two countries will result from this visit, that cannot be seen yet, not for a long time.

In the meantime, it may be advised, unsolicited of course, that Malacanang, especially the spinners there, to refrain from trumpeting speculative successes of the China visit just to grab some "pogi" points for the administration and to please their boss. For the honest truth (yes, there are dishonest truths among PR people) is that PNoy is coming home with nothing concrete or quantifiable to claim credit for. The investment agreement and the other memoranda of understanding (MOUs) signed during the visit simply put into writing norms of international trade and diplomacy in place since time immemorial among nations. Whether the agreement committed China to invest definite amounts in definite areas or not, what is definite is that investments made by nations or individuals are  on the basis of opportunities of mutual advantage and gain, not on goodwill or friendship. We need to wait then before crowing over its signing. As for those MOU's, those are just documents urging and committing the two governments to do what they are already doing even now without such agreements and that is -- talk and consult each other on matters of mutual interests and concerns and forge working relations to advance them.

So no big success to claim actually.  But welcome back, Mr. President! Your conduct and pronouncements during your visit in China made me proud. One big reason for this also is that I am very sure that you did NOT make the trip partly to influence any deal that would load up your family's foreign bank account with kickback dollars.

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