With President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. continuing with his charm offensive before several bilateral and multilateral partners, he should also look to expanding his international influence through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which is an equally important international organization focusing on international security and defense.
Its importance rises given the continuing tensions in disputed waters in the South China Sea, as Manila’s participation in the SCO can serve as a counter-weight to unilateral maneuverings undertaken by China in the area. In fact, regional adversaries India and Pakistan had joined the SCO at the same time. Regional adversaries in the Middle East, such as Iran, Israel, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, are also participating in the SCO as members or dialogue partners.
As such, Mr. Marcos should view the country’s participation in the SCO as another international platform to defend our interests in the South China Sea, and to advance our other interests in the region and the world-at-large.
Multilateralism
On the hand, Manila should participate in the SCO to see other facets of multilateralism which other international organizations such as the United Nations and the Association of South East Asian Nations may have failed to implement. In fact, SCO’s Dushanbe declaration puts great emphasis on the need for real multilateralism in resolving regional and international disputes.
One of the real victories of the SCO has been its consensus with Islamabad to work with the Taliban on the formation of an inclusive government involving Tajiks, Uzbeks and Harazas.
While there remain concerns on how the Taliban was able to implement this commitment, this is an important development because it shows a consensual mechanism by a regional bloc seeking to influence the high-level policy of one of the SCO’s partners in order to ensure regional stability and inclusivity in governance.
A similar consensus may also be undertaken in the territorial dispute in the South China Sea through the SCO, as Vietnam and ASEAN had also participated in SCO summits and proceedings in the past. The SCO may serve as an international platform which both Beijing, Manila and Hanoi on which SCS tensions may de-escalate and hopefully, resolve.
Anti-terrorism cooperation
Manila continues to consider Islamist extremism as a serious national security threat, as Islamist armed groups continue to operate in southern Philippines, despite the signing of a peace agreement between the national government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
The country continues to reel from the effects of the Marawi Siege in 2017, in which a ragtag band of Islamic extremists laid to waste the Islamic City of Marawi in the southern island of Mindanao due to five months of intense fighting with government forces.
The regional bloc’s experience in with dealing security issues will be very relevant for Manila’s strategic planning on containing extremism and terrorism in the country and the region, as it can provide valuable access to intelligence information, and prospective military contracts for equipment and weapons. This is important in order to allow Manila to lead ASEAN in forming its own regional anti-terror structure and network based on real experience by various states in fighting extremism and terrorism.
More importantly, as the SCO is not merely a regional security bloc, economic cooperation relating to the development of Bangsamoro areas may also be explored.
BBM independent foreign policy
The commitment of the President to an independent foreign policy will also be tested in his dealings with regional and international bloc not allied with the West.
In the past few months, Mr. Marcos is increasingly being viewed as re-pivoting back to Washington, with the expansion of new US locations under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. He has also made several trips to Europe in the hope of raising his profile with European leaders and investors.
Participating in the SCO will allow Mr. Marcos to balance this emerging reputation and recalibrate his government’s position towards an independent foreign policy.
Joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization balances this, because it allows Manila to relate with different international actors on which mutually beneficial relations may be built, particularly on the areas of security and trade.
Initially, Manila can participate as a dialogue partner, which now includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt, joining Turkey, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, but as soon as more confidence and trust is built, it can proceed to become an observer member as well.
With the twin goals of further developing security and trade, there should be no doubt that considering Shanghai should figure into the country’s plans in international relations.