Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III said Aug. 6 said China should handle the controversial trip of United States (US) Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan diplomatically by criticizing the US through the United Nations (UN) mechanisms.
Attempts to solve the problem outside the UN is ‘’very delicate’’ as there are many flashpoints in the world, Pimentel, former Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman, said.
The trip angered China, which considers Taiwan as a renegade province.
Pimentel, a former Senate President, cited the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a possible starting point of World War 3.
Another flashpoint is a US-China conflict over Taiwan, he said.
‘’US versus China. Kinakatakutan din ito na magkaroon ng World War 3 (We fear that World War 3 might erupt). Ngayon dalawa na ang babantayan natin (Now, we are observing two flashpoints),’’ he added.
Pimentel then called for calm where one can argue without ‘’militarization".
He conceded that Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan provoked China, which is now conducting live fire military drills near Taiwan.
The military live fire drills by China is also a form of provocation, he pointed out.
‘’Relax lang kayo (We should all relax). Pababain natin ang tension (Let us reduce tensions). Sa panig ng Pinas sabihin natin sa China na mananatili ang One-China Policy (On the part of the Philippines, we tell China that our One-China Policy remains),’’ he said.
Pimentel wondered aloud whether the current ‘’misunderstanding’’ among military powers is because the business of their military industry is weak.
That is why the unnecessary conflict is being stoked, he claimed.
Pimentel said the Philippines should stick to its gameplan of facing its essential problems such as high prices, unemployment and jobs, among others.