Once again, the Philippines has shown a tough stance by refusing to attend the China-led ASEAN summit and sending only an ambassador to attend, a move that seems to signal tensions between the two sides.
At the same time, India has also made some moves, publicly announcing that it will participate in military exercises around the South China Sea organized by the United States, and even including Chinese islands, which is quite arrogant.
Why did the Philippines and India unexpectedly join forces? It is to provoke tensions with China. So how will China respond to this situation? If the Philippines does not participate, then he will lose an important opportunity.
The incident at Second Thomas Shoal has just occurred, which the Philippines claims is within its exclusive economic zone and has a dilapidated ** that has been sitting there for decades. This led to a clash between the Chinese Coast Guard and the Philippines, renewing global attention to the South China Sea.
China resolutely upholds its sovereignty, and tensions and diplomatic disputes between the Philippines and China have frequently emerged, and the problem has not been fundamentally resolved. The Philippines' decision to refuse to participate in the ASEAN summit this time is obviously out of dissatisfaction and anger.
There may be multiple motives behind this decision, after the Philippines has claimed to reduce ** and economic cooperation with China, and actively strengthened ties with the United States, even conducting a series of military exercises against China.
The Philippines appears to have a lack of awareness of the importance of the ASEAN summit. The ASEAN Summit is the core diplomatic event of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which aims to promote regional cooperation, dialogue and partnerships.
ASEAN is a regional cooperation organization of 10 Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia.
Since our founding, we have been guided by the same purpose and belief that we will promote cooperation among our member countries in order to protect regional peace and stability, promote economic growth and development, enhance social progress, strengthen cultural exchanges, and pursue common prosperity.
In addition, ASEAN has hosted a number of summits with other important regional and international partners, such as ASEAN's summits with China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, Russia, etc.
The ASEAN Summit is an open platform dedicated to promoting dialogue and cooperation with ASEAN partners.
Over the decades, ASEAN member states have played key roles in global security, economic cooperation, environmental issues, sustainable development, counter-terrorism and cultural exchanges.
The platform also provides a valuable opportunity to resolve regional conflicts and problems. Today, the ASEAN Summit has become one of the pillars of regional cooperation and geopolitical stability, providing a platform for ASEAN countries to discuss and share ideas, and facilitating diplomatic interaction between ASEAN and its partners.
While refusing to participate in the meeting, the Philippines not only showed a position of non-dialogue, but also a negative attitude and lacked the determination to solve the problem, which undoubtedly exposed the Philippines' non-cooperative attitude to all member states.
In contrast, the Chinese side has shown a friendly and positive attitude and has not excluded any country, which makes people feel that the Philippines has undoubtedly dug a hole for itself.
This could lead to further tensions between China and the Philippines, adding more disputes and diplomatic frictions. However, one move in the Philippines shows that they are ready for what may arise.
The signing of the "Memorandum of Understanding" between India and the Philippines officially kicked off the multifaceted cooperation between the two sides, and this is a delicate time point that reflects the growing relationship between India and the Philippines.
First, let's look at India. Over the past few years, a border dispute between China and India has persisted, and escalating border clashes have strained relations between the two countries.
This is mainly because India sees China as its biggest competitor, even a potential enemy. As key players in the regional and global political landscape, India has strengthened its strategic partnership with countries such as the United States in recent years, which has complicated intra-regional competition, and geopolitical competition between the two countries has exacerbated border tensions.
India has long wanted to be a leader in Asia and expand its influence in South Asia, and the United States has hoped that the United States will recognize India's strategic importance and strengthen its support for it.
Modi has used domestic sentiment to fuel nationalist sentiment and push for a hard-line stance to resolve border disputes and conflicts. Currently, the conflict between the Philippines and China provides a good opportunity for India to take advantage of it.
India is trying to add chaos to China in the South China Sea, pressure China, and further challenge the geopolitical landscape. As the South China Sea dispute continues to heat up, India has tried to get involved and become a U.S. helper in containing China.
In the first half of this year, India and the United States conducted joint military exercises in the Pacific, and this period coincided with joint exercises between China and Russia.
Radical action on the South China Sea issue is obviously inseparable from the promotion of the first policy. In recent years, the strategic partnership between India and the United States has strengthened, and they have close cooperation in the geopolitical, security, and economic fields.
Therefore, it is possible that India will support the U.S. position on the South China Sea issue. However, it is uncertain whether India will be directly involved in the South China Sea dispute.
While India has put a lot of energy into its western border and dispute with Pakistan, as well as the upcoming Modi, its position on the South China Sea needs to be taken into account and cannot be hastily decided.
At the same time, India has been working to expand its influence in the region, including through economic and security cooperation.