Marcos Jr., who is currently on a visit to Japan, recently accepted $2.4 billion in support from Japan, but then said the Philippines' relationship with China was "going in the wrong direction." This is clearly not the result of his real reflection, but there are other deeper reasons.
Recently, friction between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea has escalated significantly, and Marcos Jr. has also made tough remarks, saying that the Philippines will pursue interests in the South China Sea and is ready to explore oil and gas resources. There are obvious reasons why he did not respond to the Chinese side's solemn ** proposal, but released his remarks that he "went in the wrong direction" during his visit to Japan. After combing, it can be roughly boiled down to three points. First of all, the alliance between the Philippines and Japan was basically established.
Marcos Jr.'s visit was to participate in the so-called "commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Japan-ASEAN friendship and cooperation," which was actually a meeting in which Japan surrounded other countries under the banner of ASEAN. Most ASEAN countries are not interested, with the exception of the Philippines. Earlier, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida visited the Philippines and provided Marcos Jr. with assistance from four radar systems and several coast guard vessels.
This time, the Japanese side is also ready to provide the Philippine side with up to 2$400 million in aid, and the possibility of reaching an agreement with the Philippine side on the construction of high-speed rail. Most crucially, Kishida once again referred to the "maritime security cooperation" between the Japan Coast Guard and the Philippine Coast Guard, and stressed that the two countries will move forward with the Japan-Philippines Reciprocal Access Agreement as soon as possible, which will provide "legal support" for the Japanese Self-Defense Forces to enter the Philippines.
Therefore, Marcos Jr.'s visit to Japan actually marks the basic solidity of the Philippine-Japanese alliance, with the Philippines facilitating the expansion of Japan's Self-Defense Forces and the Japanese side providing the best support for the Philippine side to disrupt the situation at sea. Secondly, the temporary withdrawal of American aircraft carriers. After the Philippine warship illegally entered the waters near Scarborough Shoal and Ren'ai Jiao, it was resolutely intercepted by the Chinese side.
However, Carlos, commander of the Western Command of the Philippines, and Brauner, chief of the general staff, commanded the "Yunaza May" 1 boat, maliciously rammed the Chinese coast guard vessel, and finally mixed it with the illegally beached wrecked boat, and hyped it up. This led to further Chinese action, and according to the Philippines**, satellite imagery showed that the ship had entered the lagoon at Scarborough Shoal and Second Thomas Shoal with no signs of leaving.
This prompted the Philippine side to increase the intensity of the hype, and the Philippine Senate even defended 1The $8.7 billion budget includes a special appropriation for the construction of permanent structures at Second Thomas Shoal. The Philippine operation is clearly not just hype, but a well-thought-out conspiracy that further confirms their plans to reinforce the broken ship with the support of the United States, as well as their intention to carry out construction work. This move seriously challenges China's bottom line. As a result, China has taken action on multiple fronts.
At the same time, the Shandong aircraft carrier entered the South China Sea, but the US aircraft carrier had to turn around the "Carl Vinson" aircraft carrier and turn to the Middle East because of the Houthi attack in the Red Sea. In addition, the interests of the Philippines and the United States are not entirely aligned, while the ASEAN countries are very sober. The United States is coercing the Philippines entirely out of geopolitical needs, and the Philippines is just a pawn in its efforts to contain China's development, which can be discarded at any time.
ASEAN countries yearn for peace and stability in the region and remain vigilant against US intervention. The Philippines' claim on the South China Sea issue has no legal basis or historical support, and is a botched political performance, which has been strongly opposed by many people in China. Former Philippine spokesman Tigrau said: Shame on the country, Marcos is ignorant to the point of madness. The richest man in the Philippines also expressed irrational criticism of Marcos Jr.
To sum up, Marcos Jr.'s remarks of "going in the wrong direction" are not a signal for dialogue, and although we have always kept the door open to dialogue, this is more like his delaying tactic, and we need to discern it carefully. On the one hand, the Philippines cannot get enough support and can only get some oil and water from its US allies;On the other hand, the Philippines is heavily dependent on China's ** relationship, so it needs to unleash some goodwill.
In fact, we should be determined to start a new round of island construction in the South China Sea. The international order has been shattered by the United States, especially after the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the international community's criticism of the United States and Israel has entered its peak, and it is also the time to establish a new order.
China has been advocating peace and stability in the South China Sea and resolving issues through the Declaration on Action in the South China Sea and the ASEAN Framework, but the collusion between the United States and the Philippines has seriously undermined the development of countries in the South China Sea. Only by improving the construction of islands and reefs can China ensure long-term peace and stability. I believe that after seeing the Philippines' repeated illegal provocations, countries in the region can fully understand and support it.