Philippines to ramp up US military ties amid ‘aggressive’ China
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A China Coast Guard vessel using water cannon against a Philippine supply boat in December 2023.
PHOTO: AFP
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MANILA – The Philippines is planning “more robust” military activities with the United States and its allies in the face of a “more aggressive” China, the South-east Asian nation’s top defence official said on Jan 17.
“The alliance with the US is extremely strong,” Defence Minister Gilberto Teodoro Jr said in an interview with Bloomberg News in his office in Manila. “We would like to build up our capabilities in order for us to be a more effective contributor to regional stability.”
The Philippines, under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, is building on a stronger partnership with the US and to expand ties with “other allies and like-minded countries”, including Australia, Japan, Britain and Canada, amid the threat of China’s “domination” in the South China Sea.
As the US heads into a crucial election in November, Mr Teodoro hopes that Washington’s defence strategy in the Indo-Pacific will not waver.
“A lot has been invested already on both sides,” Mr Teodoro said, referring to the US and Philippine engagements.
Ensuring security in the Indo-Pacific and rights of passage in the vital trade route will benefit not only the US and its allies but also the entire global economy, he said.
Mr Teodoro, 59, a lawyer by training and a one-time presidential contender, is helming the Defence Ministry again at a time when the Philippines is navigating mounting tensions with Beijing that lays a sweeping claim to most of the South China Sea.
Earlier in January, China’s navy and air force conducted joint patrols in the area as the US and the Philippines held drills.
Meanwhile, Beijing summoned the Philippine envoy on Jan 16 after Mr Marcos congratulated Mr Lai Ching-te
Mr Teodoro, who first held the role of defence minister between 2007 and 2009, said that what worries him the most about the sea dispute is “the possibility of a miscalculation or a conflict”.
He reaffirmed an earlier assessment that the South China Sea is a more valuable target for Beijing than Taiwan, given the promise of oil and natural gas reserves in the area.
“This could mean that they really want total domination and control over everything from free passage to resources, or they want to bear hug the Philippines to make them the sole joint venture partner in the exploration or exploitation of resources in this area,” Mr Teodoro said.
“Whatever it is, their legal proposition is untenable and has been rejected by the whole world,” he said.
“You’re dealing with a country without any openness, with opaqueness, with unpredictability, with no external indicators to show what its next move will be.”
As a result, countries like the Philippines have to be prepared all the time, which Mr Teodoro said has kept him busy “hardening and building up our alliances” in line with Mr Marcos’ foreign policy stance.
The Philippine leader has been bolstering his country’s long-standing defence alliance with the US, notably expanding American access to military bases near potential flashpoints – Taiwan and the South China Sea.
The deeper defence ties have drawn criticism from China, with its top diplomat warning Manila in December against colluding with “malicious external forces”.
Beijing has expansive claims in the South China Sea, and has recently clashed with Philippine vessels in the contested waters. BLOOMBERG
