Posted on 06/18/2021 9:25:31 AM PDT by Right Wing Vegan
TAIPEI - A wave of U.S. and Chinese military activity in the contested South China Sea is making it challenging for the Philippines, at the heart of the maritime dispute, to stick with the neutral foreign policy it has formulated over the past half-decade, analysts say.
The U.S. Navy’s Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group “is operating in the South China Sea,” the Navy said on its website June 14. The group is flying aircraft, conducting maritime strike exercises and training for surface-air unit coordination. It calls this voyage part of the Navy’s “routine presence in the Indo-Pacific.”
U.S. officials have said exercises like these – it carried out 10 last year – support Asian allies, including the Philippines, with which the U.S. has had a Mutual Defense Treaty since 1951.
China’s navy, for its part, has increased surveillance on one of its artificial-island military bases in the sea, the U.S. Naval Institute’s USNI News reported June 10. It says a Chinese intelligence-gathering ship and a maritime patrol aircraft, plus one other plane, have appeared at Fiery Cross Reef in the sea’s Spratly Islands, where Manila occupies 10 other features.
The Philippines has fretted for a decade over China’s landfilling of Spratly islets for military use
(Excerpt) Read more at voanews.com ...
RE: Will the Philippines Take Sides as US, China Send Military Units to Disputed Sea?
The question to ask to make the decision is:
Which country is trying to occupy the islands that the Philippines claims?
If it’s China, then they should support the US
If it’s the US ( ha ha ), then they should support China
If it is is BOTH, then just buy lots of pop corn and let the US and China fight it out
If it is neither, then do the same as above.
Good question. Dutarte was a tough guy with the drug dealers(domestic) but the Chicoms? He shouda thought twice b4 dissing the US.
At some point, they are going to have to choose to between allying with the US, allying with China, or staying independent.
If they ally with the US, they have a shot at maintaining their sovereignty in the surrounding oceans.
If they ally with China, they won’t...and will surrender voluntarily.
If they remain indpendent, they will lose their sovereignty in the surrounding oceans at the point of a a Communist Chinese gun.
I think the Chinese will take the Taiwan island of Quemoy (Kinmen). I remember as a youngster hearing on the radio that the Communist forces were bombarding it with artilley from the mainland.
I went to Chiang Kai-sheks summer house at Kaohsiung in 1966.
The Philippine Navy has 25,000 active personnel (including 12,500 Marines) 15,000 Reserve Personnel 81 combat ships 12 auxiliary ships 25 aircraft 8 unmanned aerial vehicles. It’s largest 2 ships are Frigates. Those are the only actual blue water ships. Most are coastal attack/patrol ships and river boats.
It doesn’t matter what the Philippines thinks. They have no ability to affect the issue.
The P.I. has to live with China whether we’re there or not. The question becomes one of life or death. Their best option is to make some best friends in the region fast.
In general, Filipinos love America and Americans, but they also love Duterte, because he has gotten rid of a lot of the drug problem. And Duterte is a loose cannon. I is he who will decide which to follow, America or China. Filipinos have no love for China; if Duterte goes in favor of China, hopefully he will be ousted in the next election.
RE: if Duterte goes in favor of China, hopefully he will be ousted in the next election.
FYI, The Philippine Constitution LIMITS the President to one six year term. Duterte is out in 2022 whether he likes it or not unless they change their constitution.
Or ignore it.
“At some point, they are going to have to choose...”
History shows that countries try to put off the inevitable for as long as possible. In this case the Philippines will probably try to stay neutral. This is one of those cases where there isn’t really a choice. Their choice is, side with the US and probably take a pretty big hit. Or, make no decision and probably take a pretty big hit. Or, they can side with China…not likely…and take a pretty big hit. There is no good decision for the Philippines.
I’m thinking their best bet is to give Clark and Subic Bay back to the US. Hopefully, they can make a trade deal (which of course comes at the expense of American workers) that makes up for the economic hit they’ll take when hostilities break out. This reminds me of a Churchill quote. “The Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing. After they have tried everything else first.” The same will be true for the Philippines.
Thanks for the info.
If history is any guide Marcos flew to Peking just days after Viet Nam fell.
“He shouda thought twice b4 dissing the US.”
He won’t be around much longer.
Take that to the bank.
The vast majority of folk in the PI are pro American and terrified by his actions.
What is this rush to get into a war with China? The US is the country that will suffer when China cuts off our supplies of all the critical material that they make and sell here. Anybody who wants a real fighting war with China is nuts. Not only do they hold a lot of cards, but some of them are nuclear.
May 9, 2022 is the Philippines election day. Duterte is ineligible to run for another term.
Good employment of the Churchill quote there...:)
They are in a touch spot. They are being bullied, and China isn’t going to back off. It will continue to be a sore spot.
The Navy’s primary interest is destroying any white sailors and officers to ensure a fully woke force. War fighting is their last concern.
“What is this rush to get into a war with China? “
The best way to win a war is not to fight it. There are several ways to succeed in this strategy. One is to be so powerful they won’t initiate a fight. But that also entails acting tough...you know, a lot of mean sounding Tweets. (Rather than stumbling up a flight of stairs and being grabbed by the arm every time you start to wander in some unintended direction.) Another is to postpone it because time is on our side. The Chinese economy is unbelievably unbalanced and could collapse at any moment. The downside of this is, like Argentina and the Falkland’s, they may go to war as a distraction. It wont’s work, but it’s definitely in their playbook. Their economy could be destroyed by a concerted effort of our “allies” but that’s not likely under Biden. Another is encouraging a revolution. Setting a couple of concentration camps free might help, but I have no idea how that could be done. Certainly, our intelligence operations are focused entirely in gender and pronoun issues as well as white supremacist’s, so they won’t have a lot of time for nuclear armed enemies.
War happens when your deterrent is no longer credible. Two marks against us in that regard, arguably, China has total superiority in their local waters. And, our current leader is known to them as “the big guy.”
Hopefully, Taiwan has mined the heck out of Chinese waters and can switch them on whenever needed. Also, I hope Taiwan has invested heavily in drones...especially, the launch and forget type that can forage on their own. China is ready for a conventional war. Recent events involving Turkey and their drones indicates the next war likely will be almost exclusively drone dominated. If so, I think Taiwan has the edge.
i get it it's the AirForce, but, there seem to be a LOT of females... they aren't 50/50 yet are they?
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