On June 17, 2024, the waters near Ren'ai Jiao in the South China Sea changed dramatically, and the maritime forces of China and the Philippines launched a thrilling confrontation. The Philippine side brazenly dispatched a supply ship and two speedboats in an attempt to forcibly break through the blockade line set up by the Chinese coast guard and transport construction materials to the broken warship "Sierra Madre" on Ren'ai Jiao, in a vain attempt to transform it into a permanent military installation. In the face of the Philippine provocation, the Chinese Coast Guard did not flinch, and took measures such as warning and blocking, boarding and inspection, and forced eviction in accordance with the law, and finally succeeded in driving the Philippine vessel away.
In this clash, eight Philippine special forces were injured, one of them had his finger cut off, eight AR15 automatic rifles were captured by the Chinese side, and the Philippine ship was seriously damaged. However, the Philippine government has repeatedly denied its violations, instead blaming the Chinese coast guard for "excessive use of force" and sending a distress signal to the international community in an attempt to internationalize the South China Sea issue in order to attract the attention of international public opinion.
In this context, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Romualdez once again made tough remarks against China in an interview with the Financial Times, claiming that the friction between China and the Philippines could spread to the entire Indo-Pacific region and even trigger a nuclear war, and warned China not to underestimate the effectiveness of the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty. What is even more unbelievable is that he also said that if "war breaks out in the Taiwan Strait," the Philippines may allow the US military to use the Philippine military bases open to it.
Romualdez's remarks, ostensibly aimed at the Ren'ai Jiao conflict, actually have hidden mysteries, reflecting the complex game of the Philippines in various aspects such as politics, economy, military, society, culture, and ethnicity, and more importantly, reflecting the subtle changes in the US-Philippine alliance and the strategic layout of the United States in the Asia-Pacific region.
Since taking office, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos has been torn between China and the United States, trying to safeguard national interests while also taking into account the interests of the United States. However, this "two-sided currying" strategy of the Philippines is destined to be difficult to last. In the case of the Ren'ai Jiao incident, the Philippine government initially tried to downplay the incident, claiming that it was a "misunderstanding", apparently to avoid provoking China and maintaining the stability of China-Philippines relations. However, the Philippine military jumped out at the first time, shifting all the blame to China, and declared that it would not give up the "supply mission" to Ren'ai Jiao.
This "sense of tearing" between the military and the government reflects the complexity of Philippine domestic politics. The Philippine military has long been influenced by the United States and has always regarded the United States as its "backer" for its security, while the Philippine government prefers to develop economic and trade relations with China in order to obtain economic benefits. Philippine Ambassador to the United States Romualdez's tough remarks this time show that the United States is intensifying its influence on the Philippines and trying to draw the Philippines into the anti-China camp.
The Philippines' economic development is heavily dependent on China, which is the Philippines' largest trading partner and an important source of investment for the Philippines. In recent years, China and the Philippines have deepened their economic and trade cooperation, making important contributions to the economic growth of the Philippines. However, the Philippine government's hardline stance on the South China Sea issue has cast a shadow over China-Philippines economic and trade cooperation. In recent years, the Philippine government has repeatedly taken actions in the South China Sea in an attempt to challenge China's sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, which has aroused strong resentment from China.
Although the Philippine government is in dire need of Chinese investment and trade, the Philippines is constrained by the US-Philippine alliance and has to side with the United States on the South China Sea issue, which also leads to a dilemma for the Philippine economy.
The Philippines has long relied on the United States for its military power, and the United States is the largest arms supplier to the Philippines and its most important military partner. The Philippine military is heavily influenced by the United States in terms of training, equipment, and operational philosophy. However, the Philippines' military strength is far from China's. The Philippine military has been seeking military assistance from the United States in recent years and allowing the United States to build more military bases in the Philippines.
Under the impetus of the United States, the Philippines has become an important US military outpost in the Asia-Pacific region, which has undoubtedly exacerbated the security contradictions between China and the Philippines. The Philippine military is also increasingly inclined to rely on the United States, which makes the Philippines increasingly dependent on the United States for its defense and security, while also exacerbating the Philippines' fear of China.
Filipino society and culture are deeply influenced by American culture, and the Philippine education system, legal system, lifestyle and other aspects have a strong American color. The Filipino people have a strong sense of dependence and identification with the United States, and at the same time, anti-China sentiment is also widespread. To a large extent, this anti-China sentiment comes from the negative propaganda of the United States toward China. The United States has long played up the "China threat theory" and tried to draw the Philippines into the anti-China camp, which has caused a relatively serious anti-Chinese sentiment in Philippine society.
The Filipino public's perception of China comes largely from American propaganda, which makes them tend to side with the United States on the South China Sea issue, which has also led to a public opinion gap between China and the Philippines.
At the same time, nationalist sentiment in the Philippines is on the rise in recent years. Filipinos are more concerned about national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and they are unhappy with China's actions in the South China Sea and are demanding that the government take tough measures to safeguard national interests. This nationalist sentiment has provided a popular basis for the Philippine government to take a tough stance on the South China Sea issue.
In order to cater to nationalist sentiments, the Philippine government has had to take some provocative actions against China to demonstrate its determination to safeguard its national interests. However, the Philippine government's hardline stance has also laid hidden dangers for the future of the Philippines. In the event of a conflict between China and the Philippines, nationalist sentiment among the Filipino people may be further intensified, which will bring great instability to Philippine society.
The U.S.-Philippines alliance is an important strategic pillar of the United States in the Asia-Pacific region, and the United States has always used the Philippines as its "bridgehead" to contain China in the Asia-Pacific region. In recent years, with the continuous improvement of China's strength, the United States has stepped up its efforts to woo the Philippines in an attempt to turn the Philippines into a "pawn" in its strategy of containing China.
The United States continues to provide military assistance to the Philippines and deploy more military forces in the Philippines, and has encouraged the Philippines to take a tough stance on the South China Sea issue and confront China. However, the Philippine government is not entirely at the mercy of the United States, and the Philippine government is also trying to use the U.S.-Philippines alliance to fight for more benefits from the United States, while at the same time not wanting to completely tear its face with China.
In recent years, the U.S. military presence in the Philippines has been intensifying. The United States has established a number of military bases in the Philippines and deployed a large number of advanced weapons and equipment, including F-35 fighter jets, B-52 bombers, Aegis destroyers, cruise missiles, etc. The main purpose of the U.S. military deployment in the Philippines is to deter China and provide support for U.S. military operations in the Asia-Pacific region. The U.S. military presence in the Philippines is a major security threat to China, which is one of the reasons why China has become more assertive in the South China Sea.
The Philippines is currently in a very awkward situation. On the one hand, the Philippines is heavily dependent on China for economic development, and on the other hand, the Philippines is constrained by the US-Philippine alliance and has to confront China. The Philippine government has to make a trade-off between the two in order to safeguard its national interests, but this "wall-to-wall" strategy is destined to be unsustainable for a long time. The Philippines' future will depend on how it handles its relations with China and the United States.
China's position on the South China Sea issue is very clear, that is, it resolutely upholds China's sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. The Chinese government has repeatedly stressed that China's actions in the South China Sea are entirely out of the need to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests, and that it will not take the initiative to provoke incidents, but it will never back down. The Chinese government's South China Sea policy is based on the concept of peaceful development and mutual benefit. China is willing to work with neighboring countries in the South China Sea to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and jointly develop the economy of the South China Sea.
The South China Sea issue is the focus of the world's attention, and many countries have expressed concern about the situation in the South China Sea and called on China and the Philippines to exercise restraint and resolve the issue through dialogue. Countries around the world generally believe that maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea is in the interests of all countries. Only through peaceful negotiations can the best solution to the South China Sea issue be found.
The Philippines' choice on the South China Sea issue will have a major impact on China-Philippines relations and the situation in the Asia-Pacific region as a whole. If the Philippines continues to side with the United States and confront China, it will inevitably exacerbate the contradictions between China and the Philippines and even trigger regional conflicts. On the contrary, if the Philippines can clearly understand the situation, abandon the "Cold War mentality" of the United States, and work with China to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, it will be conducive to the improvement of China-Philippines relations and the peaceful development of the entire Asia-Pacific region.
The conflict between China and the Philippines at Ren'ai Jiao is just a microcosm of the game between China and the United States. In order to maintain its hegemonic status, the United States has been sowing discord in the Asia-Pacific region in an attempt to turn the South China Sea issue into a confrontation between China and the United States.
The Chinese government has always adhered to the concept of peaceful development and is committed to maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea. China is willing to work with neighboring countries in the South China Sea to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and jointly develop the economy of the South China Sea. The Philippines' future will depend on how it handles its relations with China and the United States. Only by letting go of the Cold War mentality can we find the best way to safeguard national interests.