Recently, serious divisions and infighting have begun to emerge within the Philippines, mainly around the Philippines' foreign policy toward China and the United States. On the one hand, there is the argument that the Philippines needs to maintain good relations with ChinaEconomyrelations, over-reliance on the United States can cause trouble. On the other hand, there are also those who believe that the Philippines needs the protection of the United States in order to safeguard its regional interests. In this case, the Philippines is domesticElitePressure has been exerted on Marcos Jr.** to resolve the South China Sea dispute politically with China. However, there are still some people in the Philippines who have been moving closer to the United States, believing that the Philippines' geopolitical security depends on the United States. However, some senior Philippine officials have said they will be rational about bilateral relations, because China is the Philippines' most important economic and trade partner. Although China has already stated its position, we still have to warn the Philippines not to become a second Ukraine.
There are two main reasons for the internal strife in the Philippines. First of all, some in the PhilippinesEliteThink of the Philippines with ChinaEconomyCooperation is very important, and over-reliance on the United States could spell problems for the Philippines. The policies implemented by the Philippines have led to disputes over maritime rights and interests with China, but some people in the Philippines believe that this does not mean that the Philippines' relations with China have deteriorated across the board. They believe that continuing to provoke China will only bring greater costs to the Philippines. In fact, the Philippines not only has maritime rights and interests disputes with China, but also has many maritime disputes with neighboring countries. Marcos Jr. ** hopes to pass withU.S. militaryStrengthen cooperation to woo the United States to increase the power and influence of the Philippines while fulfilling regional interests.
But we would like to remind the Philippines that, as a small country, it is not wise to get involved in a contest between major powers. The lessons of the Ukraine crisis should be enough to warn the Philippines that it is very dangerous to allow itself to become a "casualty" of great power competition. Hence the Philippine oneEliteCollectively put pressure on Marcos Jr. to resolve the South China Sea dispute through political means.
The divisions within the Philippines can be broadly boiled down to two aspects. On the one hand, the Philippines is divided in its attitude towards the United States. Some insist that the Philippines needs U.S. protection to defend its regional interests andThe right to speak。They think the United StatesMilitaryAlliances are critical to the defense and security of the Philippines. In particular, the Philippine military hopes to maintain the heat of the South China Sea issue by provoking China in order to obtain more defense budget and the United StatesMilitaryAid.
On the other hand, the PhilippineEliteMore pragmatic and rational, believing that over-reliance on the United States is not conducive to the long-term interests of the Philippines. Philippines and ChinaEconomyCooperation for the PhilippinesEconomyDevelopment is crucial, lost with ChinaEconomyCooperation will outweigh the losses. Hence the PhilippinesEliteHe expressed unease about Marcos Jr.'s pro-US tendencies and hoped to resolve the South China Sea dispute through political means.
Regardless of the internal divisions in the Philippines, we have to warn the Philippines not to allow itself to be a repeat of Ukraine. The Philippines should proceed from the overall situation, treat bilateral relations rationally, and resolve disputes in the South China Sea with China in a political way to safeguard its own long-term interests.
China has long made it clear that China has sovereignty over the South China Sea issue and that it is China's consistent position to safeguard China's maritime rights and interests. China is willing to resolve the South China Sea dispute through peaceful dialogue and political means to maintain regional peace and stability. At the same time, China will not tolerate any country's encroachment on China's territory.
The Philippines should make it clear that China will not give up its core interests, including territorial sovereignty in the South China Sea. Conclusion:
Polarization in the Philippines as wellEliteThe collective "forced palace" of Marcos Jr.** reflects the debate and unease in Philippine society about foreign policy. Some believe that over-reliance on the United States and provocations against China will only harm the Philippines' own interests, while others believe that the Philippines needs U.S. guarantees and regional influence to achieve its own interests. Under such circumstances, the Philippines should treat bilateral relations rationally and resolve the South China Sea dispute through political means to safeguard the long-term interests of the Philippines. At the same time, the Philippines should also recognize that China has sovereignty over the South China Sea issue and that safeguarding China's core interests is China's firm position. The Philippines should avoid becoming a "casualty" of great power competition and instead promote its own development through cooperation with China.