The Philippines, which has been making harsh remarks about China on the South China Sea issue recently, seems to have undergone a major shift in its attitude. According to the Observer, on June 25, Philippine Foreign Minister Manaro said at a hearing that the Philippines hopes to engage in dialogue with China on the South China Sea issue and develop "confidence-building measures" to resolve differences, and he also revealed that China and the Philippines already have a consultation mechanism on the South China Sea issue, and a meeting is expected to be held in July.
Philippine Foreign Minister
The change in the attitude of the Philippine side is likely to be directly related to the contrasting reaction of China and the United States to the June 17 conflict at Ren'ai Jiao. Before the Philippine invasion, the mainland's three 055 destroyers were stationed in the South China Sea, and a number of destroyers and landing ships were deployed around sensitive waters. At the instigation of the United States, the Philippine side organized a number of speedboats to try to forcibly enter Ren'ai Jiao, but what the Philippine side did not expect was that this time the Chinese coast guard did not use water cannons to drive away, but adopted tougher control measures such as boarding and inspection.
Therefore, before and after the outbreak of the conflict at Ren'ai Jiao, China's attitude was extremely tough and very well prepared. On the other hand, although the United States has also united with Japanese and Canadian warships to embolden the Philippines, in the face of the powerful PLA warship formation, the formation composed of warships of the United States, Canada, Japan, and the Philippines does not dare to make any rash moves. China's firm determination and the US side's fierce infighting have made it more and more clear to the Philippine side that if it really makes a big fuss, it is very likely that it will face the PLA alone, and the Philippines will undoubtedly pay a heavy price for the disparity in strength between China and the Philippines.
The People's Liberation Army drove 10,000 tons
Of course, the fact that the Philippine side has softened its attitude does not mean that it will negotiate in good faith. The Philippine defense secretary recently claimed that he will continue to carry out the transportation and replenishment mission, but will not disclose the specific time in advance in the future. After throwing out the idea of negotiations, the Philippine foreign minister also said that he would start a dialogue with the Chinese side based on the so-called "arbitration results". It can be seen from this that the Philippine side is really cowardly, but resolving differences through dialogue is more like a delaying tactic.
It is worth mentioning that at a time of tension in the South China Sea, the US-Philippine alliance has once again cracked due to a bottomless act by the US. On June 14, Reuters released an exclusive report, according to the global network. In the summer of 2020, Major General Braga, commander of the U.S. Army Special Operations Forces in the Pacific, received an order from the Pentagon to form a cyber army to spread rumors about Chinese vaccines in developing countries mainly the Philippines, with the aim of making people in the Philippines and other countries question the safety of Chinese vaccines and refuse to receive Chinese vaccines.
Major General Braga, commander of the special operations forces of the US Army Pacific
Because at that time, the U.S. government came up with a plan for "Operation Warp Speed", which hoarded vaccines in large quantities. In doing so, on the one hand, it is to give priority to meeting domestic vaccination needs, and on the other hand, it is relying on market monopoly to collect high vaccine transfer costs from developing countries and make a windfall. However, the US has overlooked a key issue, which is that China's vaccine R&D and production capacity can not only meet domestic needs, but also provide assistance to developing countries. Then-Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte turned to China for help, hoping that China would give priority to assisting the Philippines.
This has made the U.S. government gradually realize that China has become a global leader in the fight against the epidemic. Therefore, in order to prevent China's international influence from increasing, the United States has spread rumors and slandered Chinese vaccines, so that even if countries such as the Philippines can obtain Chinese vaccines, domestic people are not willing to actively vaccinate. This cyber operation by the US side did have some effect, as the Philippines had the lowest vaccination rate in Southeast Asia at the time. For its own selfish interests, the US side has at least indirectly caused the deaths of tens of thousands of Filipinos.
Duterte
After the investigation report was exposed, many Philippine officials expressed great anger, believing that the US approach had no bottom line and was unforgivable. The Philippine health authorities asked the United States to investigate the Reuters report without naming them. The Philippine Senate also said that a hearing will be held to verify the case of the US military smearing Chinese vaccines in the Philippines. But Amy Marcos, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the sister of current Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, said she had difficulties inviting witnesses and that no witnesses were willing to attend. The mainland embassy in the Philippines clearly welcomed the Philippine side's practice of holding the hearing, and stressed that the Philippine people and the international community have the right to know the truth behind it.
With the bottomless line of the United States, it is not unusual for the United States to do such a thing that violates humanity. As the US military's case of smearing China's vaccines continues to ferment, the price the United States will have to pay is not only the impact on US-Philippine relations, but also the international image of the United States will be hit hard.