Coseteng: PH-China ties need diplomacy

Former Senator Nikki Coseteng, who now heads the Diliman Educational Corporation, underscores the need for diplomacy in improving relations between the Philippines and China.

Improving relations between the Philippines and China requires a foundation of diplomacy, respect and a full grasp of historical facts, according to Nikki Coseteng, who heads the Diliman Educational Corporation.

Coseteng, a former senator, said that a direct, bilateral approach involving only claimant countries is essential for resolving issues like the West Philippine Sea disputes.

“If the Philippines has an issue with China and other claimants, then we must only communicate directly with them, and vice versa,” Coseteng said, urging that “all other non-claimant countries should be out of the picture and not at all involved in the discussion.”

She advocated for both nations to send their “best minds, experienced individuals with a deep understanding of regional history and the broader global context” to work toward a mutually beneficial outcome.

Coseteng, whose Diliman Preparatory School and Diliman College have had students learning Mandarin and organizing educational tours to China for the past eight years, also cited the need to move “beyond the stereotypes” of China.

“Many still think of China as poor, unsafe, dictatorial and dirty, but when our students visit, they see something entirely the opposite,” she said.

Coseteng highlighted China’s unique “quick growth in recent years… without invading any other country, engaging in violent conflicts and wars, and imposing their language, religion, system of government on any other people.” The visits, she added, aim to “open minds and bring down the temperature amid ongoing tensions.”

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