The US’s endorsement of the Philippines as its “navy outpost” in Asia was the new focus of the Labour Day rally. The New Patriotic Alliance’s secretary general, Renato Reyes Jr, vowed a demonstration in front of the US embassy in Manila and that protesting Filipinos will meet Marcos Jr. in Washington, DC.
Marcos Jr.’s visit to the White House is his first; unlike his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, he has led the country closer to the US. The US is concerned about China’s plans for its fleet in Taiwan and the South China Sea.
Navy Ties
The conference is a component of US efforts to isolate and encircle China, which Beijing perceives as harming Philippine national interests and jeopardizing regional peace. Due to its strategic position dividing the South China Sea and the Pacific, the Philippines is a “bone of rivalry” between China and the US.
In a mirror image of the geopolitics of the time, Duterte and Marcos Jr. were dependent on and deferential to the US Navy. The US “wanted one another” while turning a blind eye to the regime’s abuse of human rights and corruption.
- The US’s endorsement of the Philippines as its “navy outpost” in Asia was the new focus of the Labour Day rally.
- The US is concerned about China’s plans for its fleet in Taiwan and the South China Sea.
- The joint navy exercises known as Balikatan were the largest ever held, with 12,200 US soldiers taking part.
For its geopolitical objective of promoting anti-communism from the Chilly Warfare era, the US sought a compliant shopping authority in Southeast Asia. Since that time, the Enhanced Protection Cooperation Settlement (EDCA) has allowed US troops to visit the archipelago on a rotating basis while using domestic navy resources.
The agreement also provides comfort to the Philippines, which was upset by Beijing’s 2012 annexation of Scarborough Shoal. The joint navy exercises known as Balikatan—which means “shoulder to shoulder” in Tagalog—were the largest ever held, with 12,200 US soldiers taking part.
In reaction to emergencies, they improved the AFP and USA Armed Forces’ skills, methods, and procedures. Marcos Jr. was there to watch.
The US’s exploitation of the EDCA agreement to push its own “anti-China agenda” and “intervene in the state of affairs throughout the Taiwan Strait” has angered China, which has expressed outrage at this. Despite admitting to being “slightly stunned” by what had been said, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte attempted to downplay the incident.
The Balikatan ship sinking exercise was attacked by Bayan’s Reyes, who called Marcos Jr. “clueless” about the risks associated with blatantly supporting US weaponry.
