New Year, Old Moves: China, Philippines, and the South China Sea
The DiplomatJan 30, 2023
The Philippines’ Department of National Defense announced Thursday that the US will be given access to four additional military bases in "strategic areas" of the Southeast Asian country amid persisting tensions with China over Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea.
The new deal was sealed under the 2014 US-Philippines Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which has allowed Washington to rotate troops to a total of nine bases across the Philippines. The Philippines gained independence from the US in 1946.
The Philippines should boost its security ties with Washington as China's expansionism increasingly threatens its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. It's no coincidence that key regional players such as Japan have also opted to join the US in stepping up deterrence against Beijing. Given China's increasingly aggressive stance, the question is no longer if, but when, military escalation will occur.
The US is exploiting the alleged "Chinese threat" to defend its hegemonic claims around the world. Manila must understand that Washington is not concerned with any of Manila's security interests, but that the US seeks to use the Philippines as another tool in a potential conflict with China. The Philippines should therefore pursue a well-balanced foreign policy as a sovereign state and thus avoid becoming a de-facto US colony again.