The Philippines is caught in a cycle of self-aggrandizement
Since Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office, his performance on the South China Sea issue has been full of twists and turns. Relying on the big backer of the United States behind him, he acted recklessly, frequently provoked China, and tried to rally the entire ASEAN to jointly confront China. This has not only made the regional situation more tense, but also made the Philippines a strategic pawn of the United States in the South China Sea.
It has to be said that Marcos Jr.'s actions have greatly deviated from the responsibilities and responsibilities that the Philippines should have as a member of ASEAN. Although he claims to be working for the benefit of the Filipinos, he is actually only satisfying his own inflated ambitions. He is eager to immediately make the Philippines a dominant player in the South China Sea in order to establish prestige and influence at home.
What is even more puzzling is that Marcos Jr. is trying in vain to drag the entire ASEAN into his own vortex. He seems to think that if he involves other countries, he can compete with China. But he apparently ignores a fundamental fact: ASEAN countries are not willing to sacrifice their own interests for their own selfish interests.
At last month's Shangri-La Dialogue, Marcos Jr. openly smeared China and distorted the facts in front of representatives of other countries. He also pretended to be pitiful and tried to win the sympathy of international public opinion. However, this approach has not only not been endorsed by other countries, but has attracted more criticism.
What's more, even Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has always been on the side of the United States, expressed his opposition and explicitly told the US Secretary of Defense not to involve Cambodia in geopolitical wrangling. It can be seen that the Philippines' actions have completely angered other ASEAN countries.
It is worth mentioning that only the day after Hun Sen's statement, the Indonesian ambassador to Russia also came forward to say that the US plan to deploy medium-range missiles in the Philippines is unlikely to be supported by ASEAN countries. This not only shows that Indonesia deeply resents the Philippines' approach, but also shows that there is a growing opposition within ASEAN.
It can be said that Marcos Jr. is stuck in a cycle of self-aggrandizement. His attempt to provoke China with the support of the United States has instead provoked a strong backlash from ASEAN countries. If he can't come to his senses in time and correct his wrong behavior, he will only end up putting himself in a more passive situation.
Is the United States afraid? Secretly poking and probing Southeast Asian countries
It seems that the US investment in the Philippines may be in vain. It can be seen from the article that the reason why Marcos Jr. is so pro-American is that there is indeed some cattiness behind it. It turned out that his father, as the dictator of the Philippines at that time, had always had a close relationship with the United States. Marcos Jr. grew up in the United States and was deeply influenced by the United States, so his affection for him is undoubted.
And it is precisely because the United States has seen this that it has constantly "painted a big pie" for the Philippines and encouraged it to provoke China. Even former U.S. Indo-Pacific Commander Aquilino has publicly stated that Article 5 of the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty will be activated once a Filipino soldier or sailor is killed. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also frankly admitted that this treaty is rock-solid and there are no exceptions.
This cannot but make people wonder whether the United States is deliberately sowing discord and trying to push the Philippines to the front line of confrontation with China. After all, if the Philippines, as an ally of the United States in Southeast Asia, is contained by China, it will undoubtedly be worse for the United States.
Unfortunately, Marcos Jr. seems to have been fooled by the flattery of the United States. He is simply like a stupid little lamb, led by the nose by the United States. Not only has China been constantly provoking China on the South China Sea issue, but it has also tried in vain to rally the entire Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to confront each other.
You know, ASEAN countries are not lambs to be slaughtered. Take Cambodia, for example, where Prime Minister Hun Sen has explicitly told the US Secretary of Defense not to involve Cambodia in the geopolitical tussle of the United States. It can be said that Hun Sen is a person who understands and is not in the least confused by the rhetoric of the United States.
Indonesian Ambassador to Russia Tavares also said that the US plan to deploy intermediate-range missiles in the Philippines is unlikely to be supported by ASEAN countries. This proves once again that ASEAN countries are already very dissatisfied with the Philippine approach, and have even begun to take the initiative to stand up against the United States.
Judging by these reactions, it seems that the United States somewhat regrets its decision. It does not seem to have expected that the "madness" of the Philippines would provoke such a strong backlash from the rest of ASEAN. Now, I am afraid, it is struggling to figure out how to stabilize the situation and prevent it from deteriorating further.
However, it will not be easy to regain the trust of ASEAN countries with the "means" of the United States in the past. After all, these countries are not as easily seduced as the Philippines. Not only do they have their own demands and interests, but they are also very clear about some of the practices of the United States.
Perhaps, the next thing the United States will do is to secretly play tricks on the ASEAN countries and try to break their unity first. After all, as long as it can sow discord, the Philippines' approach will not cause much repercussions. But this will not be easy, given the growing opposition within ASEAN.
But even if the United States does succeed, it won't want to be smooth sailing in Southeast Asia. Because in this way, China will certainly not sit idly by. It will certainly strengthen its attention and layout in this region and defend its interests with practical actions. At that point, the United States will probably regret what it did.
ASEAN is unanimous in preventing the United States from stirring up trouble in the South China Sea
As we have seen in the first two subheadings, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s "out-of-line" behavior on the South China Sea issue has not only made the regional situation more tense, but also aroused strong dissatisfaction among other ASEAN countries. It seems that Marcos Jr. thought that relying on the backstage of the United States, he could do whatever he wanted, but the reality gave him a hard slap in the face.
It turned out that not only Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Indonesian Ambassador to Russia Tavares expressed their opposition to the US approach in the region, but other ASEAN countries also began to speak out collectively. They agreed that the South China Sea should be a region of win-win cooperation, not the center of an arms race.
This makes us have to marvel at the high degree of unity of ASEAN countries at this critical moment. Whether they are small or large countries, they can abandon their personal interests and jointly maintain regional peace and stability. This undoubtedly shows ASEAN's unique role in regional affairs.
You know, as the largest country in ASEAN, Indonesia has always played a key role in the development of ASEAN. Its statement is by no means achieved overnight, but comes from a deliberate judgment. It can be seen that there is a high degree of consensus within ASEAN and resolutely opposes the United States to sow discord in the South China Sea.
This also reflects from the side that the United States has been trying to use the Philippines to provoke China on the South China Sea issue, which has aroused the vigilance of ASEAN countries. They saw clearly what the United States was trying to do, and understood that only by uniting could it stop its wanton provocation in the region.
And it was Marcos Jr.'s "crazy" behavior that inadvertently woke up the alarm in these countries. Perhaps before that, there were still some differences and contradictions within ASEAN. But now, in the face of American machinations, they are finally united.
This has undoubtedly dealt the United States a slap in the face. After all, it has always believed that as long as it can win over the old rival of the Philippines, it can easily manipulate the entire situation in Southeast Asia. But now it seems that its calculations may be failing.
Because in addition to Cambodia and Indonesia, we have also seen the reaction of countries such as Vietnam. They also said that the U.S. plan to deploy intermediate-range missiles in the Philippines was unacceptable. This shows that the entire ASEAN has formed a unanimous position and resolutely opposes the United States to sow discord in the South China Sea.
It is conceivable that if the United States insists on not changing its mind and continues to push forward with this plan, I am afraid that it will fall into a situation of confrontation with the entire ASEAN. This is undoubtedly a nightmare for it, because the unity of the ASEAN countries has already "chilled" it.
More importantly, this attitude also reflects the basic stance of ASEAN countries on the South China Sea issue. They agreed that the region should be a place of win-win cooperation, not a focus of military confrontation. This runs counter to the United States' practice of blindly sowing discord.
It can be said that this position of ASEAN countries has dealt a major blow to the influence of the United States in the South China Sea. After all, if even the most pro-American Philippines abandons it, what hope can the United States place on it?
Therefore, we can foresee that US activities in the South China Sea will be more restricted and hindered in the future. ASEAN countries will take a more resolute attitude to safeguard regional peace and stability and safeguard their own legitimate interests.
This also means that in the coming period, we are likely to see more ASEAN countries publicly express their opposition to the United States' sowing of discord in the region. They may take tougher measures to curb American ambitions.
Through this incident, we can see that ASEAN countries have formed a high sense of solidarity and resolutely safeguard regional peace and stability. This undoubtedly also gives the Philippines an important signal: if you insist on provoking incidents, you will only put yourself in a more passive situation. It is hoped that Marcos Jr. can learn from this lesson and correct his wrong behavior in time.
The Philippines does not deserve to be the leader in Southeast Asia
It seems that Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has really "provoked fire" this time. As we mentioned earlier, Marcos Jr. has been acting as a "pawn" of the United States in the South China Sea, constantly provoking China in an attempt to draw ASEAN countries together for confrontation. But it backfired, sparking a backlash from other ASEAN countries.
This reaction also speaks volumes: the Philippines simply does not qualify for the role of "bellwether" in Southeast Asia. Far from being supported by other countries, what it has done has made it the target of public criticism.
The reason for this is, first of all, the personality of Marcos Jr. himself. He grew up in the United States and has a deep affection for the United States, so he naturally prefers to rely on the interests of the United States. As a result, it has always been difficult for him to escape the influence of the United States, with limited knowledge and insufficient ability to think independently.
Second, Marcos Jr.'s actions also largely reflect his personal political ambitions. He has clearly squandered the South China Sea in order to build his prestige and influence at home. However, he completely ignored the impact of such an approach on the stability of the entire region.
What's more, Marcos Jr. simply did not consider the interests of other ASEAN countries. He is bent on wooing ASEAN countries to serve his "cause," but he is completely unaware that this will not only be unsupported, but will attract opposition. This fully exposed his ignorance and blindness about the situation in Southeast Asia.
Even Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has always been pro-American, made it clear this time that he does not want the United States to involve Cambodia in geopolitical wrestling. Indonesia's ambassador to Russia, Tavares, openly opposed the US plan to deploy medium-range missiles in the Philippines. It can be seen that these countries are already very dissatisfied with Marcos Jr.'s behavior.
It can be said that Marcos Jr. completely underestimated the sense of solidarity and common interests of ASEAN countries. His insistence on going his own way has not only not won the support of other countries, but has become the target of public criticism. This undoubtedly also exposed his short-sightedness and conceit.
In this case, it is obviously impossible to play the role of "leader" in Southeast Asia. After all, no one wants to be with someone who will only bring trouble to regional peace and stability.
Marcos Jr. must come to his senses as soon as possible, realize his wrong behavior, and take the initiative to rein in some edges. Only in this way will he be able to regain the trust of ASEAN countries and make due contributions to the development of regional cooperation. Otherwise, he will only sink deeper and deeper into the world, and eventually be isolated.
Through this incident, we can see that the Philippines is not qualified to play the "leader" in Southeast Asia at all. What it has done has not only provoked opposition from other countries, but also exposed its own short-sightedness and incompetence. It is hoped that Marcos Jr. will learn his lesson and redefine his position and role in ASEAN.