Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos met with United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Austin.
The bitter game between China and the Philippines at Second Thomas Shoal has raised fears of further escalation. After the Filipino soldiers were cleaned up by China at Ren'ai Jiao, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos chose to talk to China to resolve differences, but after a move by the United States, the situation changed.
United States sent a "big gift", and the attitude of the Philippines changed again
Recently, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has traveled back and forth in East Asia, and one of the highlights is the Philippines.
According to the latest news, during the "2+2" ministerial talks between the United States and the Philippines and the Ministry of Defense, United States announced that it would provide $500 million in military assistance to the Philippines to strengthen Philippine capabilities and curb the so-called "illegal aggression".
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin praised this, declaring that this level of funding is unprecedented and represents United States' unequivocal support for the Philippines. It is worth mentioning that this is also the largest amount of "foreign military financing" that the Philippines has received from United States.
In addition, the United States also sent another so-called "big gift", that is, the United States and the Philippines to establish a more perfect intelligence-sharing mechanism.
According to Philippine media reports, the agreement was also reached during the talks, which were attended by senior military officials of the two countries. In fact, news broke as early as mid-July, when the Agreement on the Protection of Military Information, which would allow the two countries to share intelligence in real time, was finalized.
Some experts said that the agreement signed this time is just a clear way, and the US and Philippine militaries have long established intelligence communication channels and related mechanisms, but they have always lacked a perfect system for restraint and management. It is very likely that the United States and the Philippines are planning to establish a special organization or agency to take charge of this matter, which will help further strengthen the military mutual trust and depth of exchanges between the two sides, and enable them to respond more quickly in the event of an emergency.
There is no doubt about the US military's reconnaissance capability, from various optical and radar satellites to unmanned aerial vehicles, it is completely possible to achieve 24-hour uninterrupted monitoring in the South China Sea, and if intelligence is shared with the Philippines, it is bound to have a considerable impact on the situation in the South China Sea, which may mean that United States will provide some substantial help to the Philippines on the South China Sea issue.
Seeing that it has United States "backing", the Philippines has changed its attitude again, claiming that the Philippines will not do the same without prior notice in the interim arrangement with China for the supply of Ren'ai Jiao, and if China refuses to resupply the operation, it means that China does not abide by the consultations reached between the two sides.
United States gave a little sweetness, and the Philippines began to backtrack and buckle China's hat, and of course we will not always be used to it.
US military MQ-9 UAV.
The Chinese side has given an option, and Marcos has to weigh it carefully
In the face of the cooperation reached between the United States and the Philippines, China has made its attitude clear. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said that the United States has no right to intervene in issues involving China and the Philippines in the South China Sea; The Philippines should be well aware that co-opting countries outside the region will only provoke confrontation in the South China Sea, lead to tensions, and eventually make itself a pawn of others.
China has said it so clearly, hasn't the Philippines understood it yet? Is it willing to become a "pawn" of the United States to contain China, even regardless of national interests?
At the same time, the Chinese side stressed that for the Philippines, the only correct choice is to adhere to good-neighborliness and friendship, return to dialogue and consultation, and adhere to strategic autonomy.
Now that the road is in front of the Philippines, it depends on how the Marcos government chooses?
In fact, no matter how the Philippines' attitude changes on the South China Sea issue, the result is already very clear, the US military will not end up at will, and the final result can only be that the Philippines will back down.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian.
On the one hand, the Philippines' illegal "beaching" of the broken ship at Ren'ai Jiao has reached the last moment, and if it is not repaired and strengthened, it may fall apart, if the Philippines does not follow the rules, China is fully capable of stopping it from Ren'ai Jiao, and it is not China that will be anxious at that time, China has allowed the Philippines to transport daily necessities in line with humanitarian principles, but it does not intend to be accustomed to the provocative acts of the Philippines all the time.
On the other hand, China wants to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, but it will not be constrained by the United States's military threats, and if the United States and the Philippines dare to take a step beyond the thunder pool, the PLA will not sit idly by.
For the Philippines, the best option is to resolve the issue through negotiations, and blindly following in the footsteps of United States will only play with fire and set itself on fire.
(The author is a special researcher of Kunlunce Research Institute and a special commentator of Oriental Culture Magazine; Source: Kunlun Ce Network [Authorized Compilation and Distribution], recompiled from the WeChat public account of "Humility Analects", revised and released; The picture comes from the Internet, invaded and deleted)