What is respect in Chinese? I have been studying Mandarin and guys it's really difficult. It is so different from Pilipino, from the Malaysian language. I am more attutned to learning Spanish, French and German than the Chinese language spoken by our neighbors who are just a few countries away. This just goes to show how we have been too detached from our neighbors. We are very Westernized in our outlook and have almost discarded our Asian roots. I think this is also why our response to Aung Suu Kyi's incarceration before was almost nil. Burma seemed too strange culturally for use. Hence, we could not feel then the immediate response to her and her people's plight, which was under military rule, as contrary to democratic principles as we had experienced under Marcos.

How should we face the standoff at the Scarborough Shoal, or Panatag Isle? It is very easy to drop the usual premise: "Hey that is within the 200 nautical miles that the UN has decreed as territorial rights of the people in the country nearest it."

I think that is a good base for us to work on, except that the Chinese in PRC do not buy that reason, and therefore insist that Scarborough is theirs.

My dear Neighbors, you have oil; your products are sold everywhere; some of our inventions have been copied by your manufacturers without giving credit nor payment to inventors; you are the third or second largest economic power; many of your compatriots lord it over in the economic sectors of our country; now what more do you want?

Can't we talk it over? Folks, do you think that is passable as an opening to getting our neighbors to sit down and talk over the stand-off. Goodness. they are giving me the jitters.

Let's start off, what is  "Respect" in Chinese Pin yin please. I forgot to ask Grace and Shi Fu Jian Yin, yesterday.
MORE TO COME TOMORROW. REGARDS