BOTH the United States and China are important partners for the Philippines. The US is the country's sole treaty ally, key investor and home to a large Filipino diaspora. China is the country's big neighbor, largest trade partner and emerging infrastructure builder. The ethnic Chinese community also made enduring contributions to the country's history, culture and economy. As US-China rivalry heats up, the need to assert greater autonomy grows.

An independent foreign policy is a constitutional dictum and is the call of the times. It may give the country ample space to thrive in a fast-changing geopolitical landscape and secure its survival as animus among great powers intensify. The Philippines should engage both powers but avoid taking sides.