China's aggression in the West Philippine Sea is totally ridiculous. If the Philippines were united then perhaps something could be done about it. But as it is the situation has become a blame game with some pundits like Rigoberto Tiglao claiming that President Benigno Aquino III basically gave it away when he withdrew the Philippine Navy. Of course China was also supposed to withdraw but he will never mention that.
But let's get to the root of the matter. How is it China has been able to build military bases within Philippine sovereign territory and how is it that China has been able to run off Philippine fishermen and strut all over the WPS like it owns the place? It all goes back to the expulsion of the US military in 1991.
Historian and Southeastern Asian expert Alfred McCoy writes the following in his book To Govern the Globe.
“As the US became the world’s sole superpower after the Cold War, Brzezinski, a specialist in Eurasia’s elusive geopolitics, warned that Washington should take care to avoid three conditions that could erode its global power—first, the loss of its strategic “perch on the Western periphery” in Europe; next, the rise of “an assertive single entity” in the “middle space” of Eurasia; and finally, “the expulsion of America from its offshore bases” in Asia.
The weakening of those “offshore bases” had already started in 1991 when the Philippines, unwilling to accept Washington’s ambiguous commitment to its defense, refused to extend the lease on the Seventh Fleet’s bastion at Subic Bay. As US Navy tugs towed Subic’s floating dry docks homeward to Pearl Harbor, the Philippines gained full responsibility for its own defense, which it largely failed to fund. As a result, during a raging typhoon three years later, China occupied some shoals in the Spratly Islands—the first step in what would be a stealthy bid for control over the South China Sea and its later challenge to US power in the Pacific. Instead of air and navy patrols, the Philippine military grounded a rusting US-surplus ship on nearby Ayungin Shoal in 1998 to serve as a base for a squad of barefoot soldiers, who were forced to fish for their rations. Meanwhile, in those years the US Navy underwent a 40 percent reduction in its pool of surface warships and attack submarines, further weakening the US position on the Pacific littoral.
Excerpt From: McCoy, Alfred W. “To Govern the Globe," pg. 604-605 ebook version
Why is it so hard for the pundits to get the root of the matter? Because it reveals that the Philippines is totally incompetent and does not have the resources to defend itself. This matter continues to this day with EDCA and detractors saying it is a bad idea. Even Duterte thinks it's a bad idea despite the fact that he signed on to it.
One sentiment floating around is that the USA wants war with China and the Philippines will simply be a pawn.
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| https://philippinerevolution.nu/statements/with-new-edca-sites-ph-to-become-us-pawn-in-war-strategy-vs-china/ |
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) joins the Filipino people in condemning the Marcos regime for colluding with the United States in its plan to construct four more military bases in the country as part of its war preparations against China.
By agreeing to let the US military construct more bases and facilities in these sites, the Marcos regime is allowing the United States to use the Philippines as a pawn in its war strategy against China. The Indo-Pacific Security Strategy of the US government aims to encircle China to stifle the growth of its economic and military power.
Marcos is fooling Filipinos when he claimed yesterday that these US military bases and facilities will be “used for humanitarian and relief operations.” The so-called disaster response program of the US military is, in fact, a big screen to obscure the aggressive push of the US to extend and project its military power. To see through the lies of the claim that these facilities will bring jobs to communities, one need only to look at how US military bases in any part of the world have promoted prostitution and other anti-social activities.
In all likelihood, the US will construct facilities to launch long-range missiles in one or more of these EDCA locations. Since 2021, the US Indo-Pacific Command has been planning to construct a network of ground-based missile launching systems along what it calls the “First Island Chain” which includes Japan, Korea, the Philippines and other islands closest to China.
The war theater preparations of the US are centered on stoking Taiwan “independence” in order to provoke China to “own the starting gun” and thus justify its plans to “come to Taiwan’s defense.” In such an event, the Lal-lo international airport will likely serve as a launching pad and rear service area for US jet fighters that will be used by the US in its war against China.
Yeah. So, the USA wants to stoke Taiwan independence so China invades and they come to Taiwan's aid and....then what? Invade China while using the Philippines as a launching pad? Why? It's dumb even if true.
But we don't need conspiracy theories.
The fact is once the USA was summarily booted from Subic Bay China bided its time and then took over the WPS at the first opportunity. Western historians can acknowledge this fact why can't Philippine politicians also acknowledge it?
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