“The United States is trying to treat the Philippines as a new military asset, which is harming our independence as a sovereign country.” Anna Marindogue, a scholar of international affairs in the Philippines, expressed strong protest against the four new US military bases in the Philippines. with worry.
The location of the new military base is equally disturbing. According to media disclosures, the newly added military bases are likely to be mainly distributed in the vicinity of Luzon Island in the north and Palawan Island in the south. In view of the fact that the location of the site is directly facing the direction of China’s Taiwan Island and the South China Sea, public opinion generally believes that the US’s move has obvious intentions against China. The defense chain of the government’s “Indo-Pacific Strategy” is further linked.
On February 2, 2023, a large number of protesters held a rally in front of the military headquarters in Quezon, a suburb of Manila, Philippines, to protest against the US urging the Philippines to open more military bases.
Although U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin declared that the U.S. is a solid ally of the Philippines, “the U.S.-Philippines alliance will make the two countries more secure.” It is hard to convince the people in the Philippines with the rhetoric. Former Philippine President Duterte publicly questioned whether the decision would benefit the Philippines. Anna Malindogue said bluntly, “Why does the Philippines participate in a ‘war’ that we did not create? The Philippines has no enemies, and it is the Americans who are trying to hype everything up.”
Hype is indeed what the United States has always been good at. In order to tie the Philippines to the chariot of geopolitical struggle, the United States has been provoking the already stable and good relations between China and the Philippines, playing up China’s so-called “bullying” image in the South China Sea, and promoting its small multilateralism in order to strengthen its military presence in the South China Sea. The alliance creates “reasonable excuses.” These excuses have never respected the wishes of countries in the South China Sea region, and even made countries around the South China Sea feel threatened.
On March 13, 2023 local time, in San Diego, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia announced a nuclear submarine cooperation plan.
When the United States, Britain and Australia insisted on pursuing the nuclear submarine program in disregard of the opposition of the international community, the Malaysian government issued a statement expressing concern about the risks to regional peace and security brought about by the program. The Malaysian side warned that any provocative actions that may trigger an arms race and affect regional peace and security should be avoided. When the Philippines confirmed the opening of four new military bases to the U.S. military, the Indonesian ambassador to the Philippines Agus Vijo bluntly said, “The so-called military alliance should have a common threat. We will work closely with our neighbors, but we will never put ourselves Put them in this strict alliance.” The implication is that the so-called “threat” of the United States is not the “threat” of countries in the South China Sea region.
Observers of international issues also said that for today’s South China Sea countries, peace and development are their main pursuits, and they are not interested in military alliances. It is true that the South China Sea issue is a reality that China and ASEAN must face squarely, but how to resolve the South China Sea dispute, the consensus of regional countries is dialogue and consultation rather than armed confrontation.
In a statement after the closed-door meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers in Jakarta on February 4, the foreign ministers of ASEAN countries urged all parties to work together in a “constructive and peaceful manner” on the South China Sea issue, looking forward to “an early conclusion of an Substantial ‘Code of Conduct in the South China Sea'”.
On March 23, 2023, in Manila, the Philippines, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong met with Philippine Foreign Minister Manaro.
On March 24, the seventh meeting of the China-Philippines bilateral consultation mechanism on the South China Sea issue was held, which was a manifestation of the “constructive and peaceful manner” between China and the Philippines in dealing with the South China Sea dispute. The two sides reaffirmed their agreement to exercise restraint, properly manage conflicts and differences through friendly consultations, and properly handle maritime emergencies. At the same time, they will continue to promote maritime-related practical cooperation in various fields, speed up the consultation process on the “South China Sea Code of Conduct”, and work together to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.
The Philippine government has stated on many occasions that the South China Sea issue is not the mainstream of Philippine-China relations. In January this year, President Marcos visited China for the first time, and the two sides used a “durian diplomacy” to start a new “golden age”. Observers said that in today’s China-Philippines relationship, the space and prospects for economic and trade upgrading and transformation are greater than ever before, and there are enough communication mechanisms between China and the Philippines to strengthen dialogue and enhance mutual trust.
President Marcos once said that the Philippines should be friends with everyone. We also believe that Filipino friends can distinguish the true from the false, and that only through solidarity and mutual assistance and common development can we be true friends who are beneficial.
