On the South China Sea issue, a broken ship has given the Philippines repeated opportunities to challenge China's sovereignty, and China has repeatedly called on the Philippines to tow away the broken ship.
In the face of China's shouting, Marcos not only directly stated that he would not tow away the broken ship at Ren'ai Jiao, but even directly showdown with China, and the US military base in the Philippines is aimed at China.
According to French media reports on April 15, Marcos made it clear at the journalists' association that he opposes the continued increase of US military bases in the Philippines.
On the same day, the official website of the US Army Pacific announced that the US military had deployed a missile system with "medium-range strike capability" in the Philippines.
One second it said that it was opposing the US military to continue to build more US military bases in the Philippines, and the next second, the US military deployed its missile system in the Philippines, and it is obvious that this is directly aimed at China.
In the face of this move, China has also responded by pledging to support Cuba's military build-up.
The U.S. military deployed "medium-range missiles" in the Philippines for the first time
According to the Observer Network, on April 15, local time, the "medium-range strike capability missile system" deployed by the US military in the Philippines was a historic first and milestone.
The deployment of the missile system is part of exercises between the United States and the Philippines and is part of the U.S. Army's "Long Range Precision Fire" program.
According to the United States, the purpose of the missile system is to deal with the "threat from Russia and China", and it is deployed in the Philippines to strengthen the Philippines' maritime defense capability.
However, the missile system was hit in part of the South China Sea and China's coast, and China responded to this move.
The area where the US military deployed the missile system is located on the Philippine island of Luzon, which has a total of five military bases, which also means that the US military can also deploy missile systems closer to China's four bases.
South Korea is also like a puppet, let the United States build a US military base in South Korea and deploy missile systems, Japan will probably become the next "victim", if Japan, the Philippines, and South Korea all deploy missile systems, the threat to China will be even greater.
Regarding this move, Wu Qian, spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, said when the United States first revealed its intentions: "China will resolutely oppose and resolutely counter it."
In the bilateral talks between Cuba and China, the Chinese side said: "We firmly support Cuba in defending its sovereignty, independence and national dignity, provide assistance to Cuba to the best of its ability, and support the development of Cuba's armed forces."
In the "Cuban Missile Crisis" of that year, the Soviet Union and the United States could be said to have fought against each other, and finally ended with the Soviet Union retreating softly, thus avoiding the outbreak of a nuclear war.
When the United States deployed missile systems in China's neighboring countries, does it mean that China can also follow the example of the Soviet Union at that time? This requires a good understanding of the "Cuban Missile Crisis" of that year.
The "Cuban Missile Crisis" History Reappears?
The Cuban Missile Crisis was the most intense confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War in 1962.
In 1959, Cuba overthrew the puppet regime propped up by the United States, the Batista dictatorship, and the top leadership changed dramatically, and the United States began to impose sanctions on Cuba for fear that this would affect its influence in Latin America.
Under the pressure of the United States, Cuba had no choice but to turn to the Soviet Union for help, and in 1962, the Soviet Union began to plan to deploy intermediate-range missiles in Cuba, each of which was 20 or even 30 times more powerful than the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
After the deployment of medium-range missiles in Cuba was discovered by the United States, the United States decided to blockade Cuba and began preparations for sending troops to Cuba, and a conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States was on the verge of breaking out.
Before the Soviet Union, the United States had deployed medium-range missiles in Turkey, Italy and other countries, including a large number of military bases, aimed directly at the Soviet Union, and one of the reasons why the Soviet Union deployed missiles in Cuba was to counter the encirclement of the United States.
In order to force the Soviet Union to withdraw all the medium-range missiles deployed in Cuba, the United States dispatched 68 air squadrons and eight aircraft carriers, and even assembled the largest landing force since World War II.
Once such a huge posture broke out, it would trigger a global nuclear war, and in such a high-pressure oppression, the Soviet Union chose to compromise, and if the war broke out, the Soviet Union would lose more than the United States, so the request for the United States to withdraw its missiles from Turkey was not repeated by the Soviet Union in the end.
Although the Soviet Union was soft at that time, it does not mean that if history really repeats itself, China will be soft, after all, today's China is not the Soviet Union at that time, and Marcos is supported by the United States, and the "waist pole" is becoming more and more hard.
Marcos had a showdown, drawing a red line
In the Philippines, there are already nine military bases from the United States, and there are voices in the outside world questioning whether the United States will continue to increase the number of military bases in the Philippines.
Although Marcos made it clear at a press conference on April 15 that he would not allow the United States to set up additional military bases, it is uncertain whether he will change his face in the future.
At least what is clear is that the four new US military bases in the Philippines last year were built against China, which Marcos personally admitted in an interview with reporters.
In this way, Marcos almost had a showdown with China, and even moved out of the "US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty" to draw a red line for China.
At the summit meeting between the United States, Japan, and the Philippines, the United States said that it would protect any Philippine troops, ships, etc. in the South China Sea, and that if it was attacked in any way, the United States could be killed.
But after all, this is a verbal promise given by the United States, as long as China's interests are infringed, no matter who is far away, no one can say whether the United States will help at that time, perhaps this is just a pie painted by the United States?
Marcos seems to have become more and more "emboldened" recently, first explicitly refusing to tow away the stranded ship, and then showdown that the US military base in the Philippines is aimed at China, and an important reason is because of the more than $100 billion investment sought by the Philippines in the United States and Japan.
If there is any benefit, the United States will naturally occupy the lion's share, and even if it has to pay some price, it will try its best to minimize the loss, so can the Philippines really get the investment of 100 billion US dollars as it wishes?
And with the increasing tension between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, more and more Chinese investors dare not invest in the Philippines easily, which has caused huge losses to the Philippines.
According to data from the United States cited by Philippine media, the number of Chinese tourists visiting the Philippines has dropped from 1.74 million in 2019 to 264,000 in 2023.
Marcos also used security concerns as an excuse to stop some projects of Chinese companies in the Philippines, further damaging Chinese companies' investment in the Philippines.
For a variety of reasons, the Philippines' interests will naturally suffer, and they may pin their hopes on $100 billion in investment from the United States and Japan.
But the Philippines must be clear that the United States and the Philippines are separated by an entire ocean, and China and the Philippines are more suitable neighbors to cooperate.
Today's China's international influence is increasing dramatically, and if the Philippines still can't choose the right path, the end for him may be worse than that of Ukraine today.