As everyone knows, the Philippines recently crossed the border in the South China Sea, and the Philippine Armed Forces (AFP) secretly dispatched a Cessna C-208B "Caravan" transport plane without China's permission to airdrop supplies to the "Sierra Madre," which was illegally beaching Ren'ai Jiao. Gan Yu, spokesman of the China Coast Guard, said that the Philippines' move is not conducive to easing the situation in the South China Sea, and is telling the Philippines to stop its provocative and hype-up behavior in the South China Sea, and that the China Coast Guard will strengthen rights protection and law enforcement in Ren'ai Jiao and its adjacent waters, and resolutely defend national sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. It is worth noting that just after the sound of our warning, the Philippine side not only did not take the action of easing the situation, but released a very provocative news on the 29th (Monday). According to Reuters, Philippine Ambassador to Washington Romualadez revealed that the Philippines and the United States "intent" to hold a 2+2 meeting in Manila, and everything is "in the pipeline". It was also revealed that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin may arrive in Manila in March to hold a meeting with Philippine Secretary Manalo and Secretary of Defense Teodoro.
The so-called 2+2 meeting between the United States and the Philippines is a meeting attended by the foreign ministers and defense ministers of the two countries. This is the first time since 2012 that a high-level U.S. executive has come to the Philippines to hold such a meeting. This detail shows that the United States is becoming more assertive in its meddling in the South China Sea, and if they had any scruples in the past, sending Blinken and Austin to Manila on a special plane this time is clearly provoking China. Such a strong posture of the United States toward China will inevitably give Marcos the illusion that he has the full support of the United States. As a result, Marcos has the potential to take a dangerous step in the South China Sea. You know, not long ago, India revealed that it would deliver a batch of supersonic missiles to the Philippines, and Marcos himself will visit Vietnam, and now with a US plane that will arrive in the Philippines in March, the Philippines is bound to be more high-profile in the South China Sea.
This can be seen from the results of the talks between the two sides in Washington last year, when the United States and the Philippines discussed plans for the next 10 years, including the deployment of drones and coastal defense missile systems, and their intentions against China in the South China Sea were very obvious. In the joint statement after the meeting, the Philippine defense secretary also made a number of demands on China. It claims sovereignty over the three islands in the South China Sea, namely Reed Bank, Mischief Reef and Ren'ai Jiao. Oppose China's claims and related reclamation activities in the South China Sea, and stress the importance of China's need to comply with the South China Sea Arbitration. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has made a high-profile statement that the U.S. is committed to standing with the Philippines against any intimidation or coercion, including in the South China Sea, and defending a region governed by international law. It is like a posture of advancing and retreating with the Philippines in life and death.
Looking back to the present, the US military now has as many as 9 military bases available in the Philippines, and the signs of Philippine construction on Thitu Island are becoming more and more frequent, whether it is the construction of airport runways or radar monitoring stations, all of which show the great ambition of the Philippines. Obviously, the Philippines wants to further strengthen its actual control over parts of the South China Sea through some illegal means. With the acceleration of the disintegration of the beached ships at Ren'ai Jiao, the mood of the Philippines is bound to be impatient, and Marcos is likely to seek more support from the United States for military exercises, arms sales, and the in-depth expansion of cruise plans at the 2 2 meeting.
Of course, with China's current maritime strength, we are not afraid of the intervention of the United States, but if Marcos indulges in the "gentle country" woven by the United States, he may take advantage of the future and destiny of the entire Philippines.
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