The Philippines really didn't want to suffer at all, and just gave in and decided to withdraw the mid-range missile deployed by the US military, and then reached out to China to ask for money, which was 60 million in one mouth, what was this money used for?
After sustained diplomatic efforts and gamesmanship, regional tensions in the South China Sea have shown a tendency to ease. The recent meeting of the Ninth Bilateral Consultative Mechanism on the South China Sea, co-chaired by China and the Philippines, is a clear sign of positive development.
According to official sources, both sides demonstrated their shared responsibility for maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea at the meeting, and agreed to continue to manage and control existing contradictions and differences through dialogue and consultation.
The Philippines' participation means that it has completed a deep reflection on the situation in the early stages and has made strategic choices. Clearly, in this game with China, the Philippines has become well aware that confrontation is not only unhelpful, but can also lead to significant negative consequences.
Against the backdrop of China's assertive stance and unshakable sovereignty claims, and the U.S. role being more limited to rhetorical support than substantive involvement, it is clear that the Philippines is more inclined to seek a solution through dialogue.
In fact, such engagement between China and the Philippines is not only conducive to easing current tensions, but also shows that both sides recognize the need for cooperation. In particular, with the conclusion of the bilateral dialogue just two days ago, the Philippine Chief of General Staff's statement and decision-making actions further demonstrated the Philippines' desire to de-escalate the situation through concrete actions.
The proposed supply and operations plan, as well as updates on the deployment of U.S. intermediate-range missile systems in the Philippines, reflect the Philippine government's positive posture and commitment to reducing regional tensions.
However, despite the initial progress made in the dialogue, many challenges remain. The Philippine military proposed to demand that China pay 60 million pesos to compensate the Philippine side for the damaged ships.
China's response was faceless, with a clear rejection of these demands, and emphasizing its perceived legitimate rights and interests and assessment of the Philippines' actions, reflecting the fact that differences in positions on the South China Sea issue remain acute.
The withdrawal of the US military from the intermediate-range missile system deployed in the Philippines, whether it is based on the active strategic adjustment of the US side or the request of the Philippines, marks an important change in the security pattern of the Asia-Pacific region. We should be cautiously optimistic about this change, recognising the multiple considerations that may be behind it.
First of all, it is worth noting that despite the withdrawal of its nuclear missile systems by the US military, this does not mean the end of military cooperation between the parties. The "shoulder-to-shoulder" joint exercise between the United States and the Philippines demonstrated the deep military exchanges between the two countries.
The participation of the US military's previous deployment of intermediate-range missile systems in the northern Philippines has undoubtedly strengthened the Philippine side's operation and maintenance capabilities. Therefore, even if it withdraws in the short term, in the long run, the United States may redeploy at any time according to strategic needs to maintain its influence in the region.
At the same time, China has not stopped strengthening its economic and military cooperation on a global scale, especially with Cuba. This cooperation is not only in the economic and humanitarian spheres, but also in the military and political spheres. The United States is worried about this, and frequently uses the media to exaggerate China's military actions such as establishing monitoring stations in Cuba in an attempt to portray China as a threat to US military bases.
However, the reality is that China-Cuba cooperation has been progressing steadily at multiple levels, and the specific content of cooperation is complex and diverse, and the concerns of the US side are obviously exaggerated.
On the whole, on the South China Sea issue, the game between China and the Philippines and China and the United States seems to have shown some results. China's military presence in the region and effective control of the coast guard force ensure overall stability of the situation.
For the Philippines, U.S. security commitments are inadequate in the face of a regional power like China. This reality makes it seeming that U.S. influence in the South China Sea is waning, posing a challenge to the security of the Philippines and other countries in the region.
Overall, the security landscape in the Asia-Pacific region is changing rapidly, and all parties are adapting to this change by adjusting their diplomatic and military strategies.
Although there will be various complex and severe tests in this process, as long as all parties can uphold the principle of peaceful coexistence and resolve disputes through dialogue and cooperation, they can effectively maintain regional security and peace.