In the late 20th century, China made two important turns in the international community.
The first time was the contact with the United States in 1972, and China and the United States gradually normalized relations; the second time was the reform and opening up in 1978, when China embarked on the road of building a socialist country with characteristics, and the country became prosperous and strong.
As the chief architect of China's reform and opening up, Comrade Xiaoping has made great contributions to China's development.
Comrade Xiaoping is good at economics. This is a deep-rooted impression in everyone's mind. But in fact, Comrade Xiaoping is also well-known as a hardliner in terms of military affairs.
From the late 1970s to the 1980s, the Chinese People's Liberation Army carried out a 10-year military attack on Vietnam , shattering Vietnam's ambition to "dominate the Indo-China Peninsula ".
On the South China Sea issue, China is also dealing with the South China Sea islands and reefs, Philippines , Vietnam and other countries, and insists on safeguarding sovereignty in the South China Sea.
In 1988, when Philippine President Aquino visited China, Comrade Xiaoping and Mrs. Aquino had a classic dialogue about the South China Sea issue.
At that time, Mrs. Aquino tried to prove that the Philippines had sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and reefs on the grounds that "these islands are closer to the Philippines."
As a result, Comrade Xiaoping's answer was even more sharp. He said: "If you look at it geographically, the Philippines is also very close to China."
This sentence may seem ordinary, but it actually contains murderous intent, which makes Mrs. Aquino a little bit At a loss.
Comrade Xiaoping’s words have also become the bottom line on the South China Sea issue. He clearly told the countries on the South China Sea that China has no room for bargaining on sovereignty issues.
So, why did Mrs. Aquino come to China this time? What was the relationship between China and the Philippines like at that time? What impact will this meeting have on China-Philippines relations?
1. Mrs. Aquino took office and came to China to "visit relatives"
Mrs. Aquino's real name is Maria Corazon Cominonco. She is of Chinese descent from the Philippines. She was born in the Philippines in 1933. She is a Chinese businessman The fourth generation successor of Shangzhi .
Xu Shangzhi is a native of Fujian. He went to Southeast Asia to do business in the mid-19th century and came to Luzon Island in the Philippines.
Since then, the Xu Shangzhi family has thrived here for more than 100 years, spread its branches in Luzon , and became a wealthy business family in the Philippines by operating rubber plantations.
Relying on the resources and wealth accumulated through business, the second generation of the Xu family began to participate in politics. By the fourth generation, Maria’s generation, there are already five or six members of the tribe serving as members of the Philippine Congress, influencing Philippine politics. wind direction.
In 1954, the family arranged for Maria to marry Philippine politician Benigno. Aquino. After that, "Mrs. Aquino" officially became her title, and she spent the first half of her life assisting her husband.
Benigno Aquino is the descendant of the Aquino family. He was a journalist in his early years and began to participate in politics after the 1950s. He is the youngest mayor and provincial governor in the history of the Philippines.
Aquino was regarded as a thorn in Marcos' side because he once ran for president against the dictator Marcos .
Marcos is one of Asia's most notorious dictators. He came to power in 1965 and then ruled the Philippines as a dictator for nearly 20 years, embezzling sky-high wealth.
Benigno Aquino has been calling on the opposition parties to oppose Marcos. He himself was imprisoned by Marcos and was once sentenced to death.
After 1980, Benigno Aquino fled to the United States and began a life in exile.
In 1983, when the Philippines was about to go to the general election, Benigno Aquino returned to the country with a high profile to run for president. As a result, he was beaten to death by an assassin in public at the airport, which shocked the whole country.
Mrs. Aquino and her husband’s followers gave Aquino a grand burial, and then she took up the banner of anti-Marcos and became a representative figure of the Philippine opposition.
The death of Benigno Aquino caused both the political and business circles in the Philippines to abandon Marcos. The Americans were also very dissatisfied with him. The domestic "anti-Marco" movement became stronger and stronger, and Mrs. Aquino was elected as the new president. political leaders.
In the end, Marcos was defeated in the election in early 1986, but he actually still had illusions and hijacked the Congress to force the election victory report in an attempt to be re-elected.
This move caused millions of people in the Philippines to march on the streets and besiege the presidential palace. In the end, Marcos escaped by helicopter from Manila , and Mrs. Aquino became the president of the Philippines.
At this time, Mrs. Aquino was the first female president in the history of the Philippines and the first female president in Asian history. Her image was immediately featured on the cover of Time magazine .
News headlines around the world are talking about the Philippine election, and Chinese people also learned about this Filipino Chinese female politician from newspapers and TV.
As a descendant of the Chinese, Mrs. Aquino’s coming to power has inspired overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia. The Chinese government also hopes to further deepen the development of China-Philippines relations through Mrs. Aquino.
2. Mrs. Aquino was filled with emotion when talking with Comrade Xiaoping about the South China Sea
In 1988, Mrs. Aquino responded to China’s invitation and visited China with her daughter. She first went to Fujian to worship her ancestors, and then met China's then leader Deng Xiaoping in Beijing.
Mrs. Aquino held talks with Comrade Xiaoping in Beijing. She had two goals for her trip:
First, to promote foreign trade cooperation between China and the Philippines, mainly to allow China to import more fruits and other agricultural products from the Philippines.
Secondly, Mrs. Aquino would like to exchange views with China on the South China Sea issue.
At that time, the Philippines illegally occupied several islands and reefs in the South China Sea. China protested and had fishermen, coast guard, and warships patrolling these disputed areas.
China’s sovereignty over the South China Sea is indisputable. The earliest map markers of the South China Sea islands and reefs are in China. Since ancient times, Chinese fishermen have been operating in these places.
Before and after World War II, Southeast Asian countries still recognized the nine-dash line in the South China Sea, and all recognized the islands and reefs in the South China Sea as belonging to China.
But after the Cold War , taking advantage of China's weak coastal defense, the countries surrounding the South China Sea occupied many South China Sea islands and reefs.
In the late Cold War, China discovered these cross-border behaviors, so it began to declare its sovereignty, and even broke out several naval wars with countries surrounding the South China Sea over its sovereignty.
After meeting Comrade Xiaoping, Mrs. Aquino originally wanted to persuade China to "accept the status quo" because Southeast Asian countries account for 90% of the three major archipelagoes in the South China Sea, and it will not be easy for China to take them back unless a war breaks out.
Moreover, a large amount of oil and gas resources were discovered in the South China Sea at that time. Since the 1970s, this has been an important energy pillar for the countries in the South China Sea. The Philippines will not give this treasure land to others.
Mrs. Aquino said: "The islands and reefs next to the Philippines are relatively close to the Philippines, some are only 100 nautical miles away, but they are far away from mainland China, 600 to 700 nautical miles. Judging from the geographical distance, China's request is a bit inappropriate. Realistic."
But Comrade Xiaoping took a puff of cigarette and said: "If you look at the geographical location alone, the Philippines is very close to China."
As soon as these words came out, Mrs. Aquino's translator first took a breath of cold air. When he translated Comrade Xiaoping's words into English and told Mrs. Aquino Later, the female president also felt a chill on her back and felt an invisible pressure.
Comrade Xiaoping punctured Mrs. Aquino’s fragile logic. If all the land nearby belonged to oneself, wouldn’t the world be in chaos? Isn’t this a hegemonic idea?
Mrs. Aquino quickly explained that she was not denying China’s sovereignty over the South China Sea, but hoped that the two countries could sit down and talk about this issue on the condition of recognizing the status quo.
Comrade Xiaoping said: "Last year your Vice President Mr. Laurel visited China and we talked about this issue. I told him that the South China Sea belongs to China. There is no doubt about it. But in view of historical circumstances, we are willing to put this issue aside for the time being. We do not want these issues to affect China and East Asia Relations between countries in South Asia."
Mrs. Aquino replied: "The Philippine government hopes to talk. This is the way that best serves the interests of both countries."
Afterwards, Mrs. Aquino expressed deep emotion at Comrade Xiaoping's words.
As early as the late 1970s, Deng Xiaoping's pragmatic style spread throughout the world with his foreign visits. This Beijing meeting made Mrs. Aquino sigh: "It is well-deserved!"
3. The Nansha naval battle shocked the South China Sea, and the Philippines could not restrain itself. Mrs.
Mrs. Aquino’s visit will have a considerable impact on China-Philippines relations. At that time, the Cold War was at its end, and the Philippines also hoped to resume exchanges with China.
Comrade Xiaoping’s words not only told the Philippines that “China will open its door”, but also warned the Philippines not to act rashly.
After hearing what Deng Xiaoping said, Mrs. Aquino promised to continue talking to China in the South China Sea, a policy that has continued into the 21st century.
During the Marcos era, the relationship between China and the Philippines was relatively tense, because the Marcos government was the vanguard of anti-communism and hunted and killed communists everywhere in the country. Mrs. Aquino’s husband was once arrested as a communist.
Marcos also allowed the United States to station troops on the mainland as the first line of defense to block the socialist world.
In addition, Marcos exploited resources in the South China Sea on a large scale and sent troops to drive away Chinese fishermen. China has protested many times. But Marcos had the backing of the United States and was always confident and never took China's opposition to heart.
After Mrs. Aquino’s visit to China, although Sino-Philippine relations began to ease, Mrs. Aquino did not completely change the relations between China and the Philippines due to domestic conditions.
In 1988, just before Mrs. Aquino visited China, a naval battle in the Nansha Islands shocked Southeast Asia and made the Philippines feel China's confidence.
The "314 Nansha Naval Battle" broke out that year. The Chinese Navy and the Vietnamese Navy fought fiercely at the "Chigua Reef" in Nansha. Three frigates of the Chinese Navy sank two Vietnamese warships and damaged one. The Vietnamese army suffered hundreds of casualties.
The Chinese army did not lose any ships in the naval battle, and only one soldier was injured.
The Nansha naval battle was quite controversial at the time. The countries surrounding the South China Sea looked at the islands and reefs in the South China Sea that they occupied and began to murmur.
In Southeast Asia, Vietnam originally wanted to collude with Malay , Indonesia , the Philippines and other countries to promote China's threat in the South China Sea.
But soon after the naval battle, Mrs. Aquino of the Philippines visited China. After understanding China's position, the Philippines did not participate in more anti-China actions.
In the late 1980s, the Philippines was still developing oil and gas in the South China Sea alone, and did not really promote the "joint development" initiative with China.
Although China’s initiative of “ putting aside disputes and jointly developing” did not receive an immediate response from the Philippines, Sino-Philippine relations have also been restored and developed during the years when Mrs. Aquino was in power.
In China, the speeches of Comrade Xiaoping and Mrs. Aquino later circulated on the Internet for a long time.
"The Philippines is not far from China", and later Comrade Xiaoping said when talking to Mrs. Thatcher "The Chinese are poorer, but they are not afraid of death when fighting a war", and was called "Comrade Xiaoping's Two cruel words."
These words may seem plain, but they show the determination of Chinese leaders to safeguard national sovereignty and also set a bottom line for foreign forces.
China’s ability to resolve the Hong Kong and Macao issues in the 1990s and its ability to gain a foothold on many islands and reefs in the South China Sea are inevitably related to Comrade Xiaoping’s toughness. The political thought and diplomatic wisdom of the older generation of revolutionaries are still worthy of our study today.
Text/Shang Xueye
References:
. "Asia's First Female President: The Rise of Mrs. Aquino" Zeng Moxiu
. "The Philippines is Very Close to China" Anonymous
