Beijing, Manila show the way to sea of tranquility

One needs to look no further back than a couple of years ago, when China and the Philippines were deeply mired in distrust and rancor, to appreciate how territorial disputes improperly handled can become a major source of antagonism between countries.

But likewise, looking back over the last nine months or so and tracing the improvement in their relations, it is evident that territorial disputes, if handled with care, do not have to be an obstacle to friendly ties and mutually beneficial cooperation.

Of course, what has reversed the polarity of relations is not simply good fortune but their mutual efforts and concrete actions to realize their shared resolve to escape the dangerous current souring their relations and to work together for a friendly future.