The United States has recently renewed its warning that it will defend the Philippines against any armed attacks after the island nation accused Chinese coast guard ships of intentionally hitting its vessels in the South China Sea over the weekend. The Philippines authorities declared it a serious escalation of the illegal activities conducted by the Chinese government in the West Philippine Sea in complete disregard of the global norms, while the United States quickly took the side of its Southeast Asian ally.
The US national security adviser Jack Sullivan not only held talks with his Philippine counterpart but issued a stern media warning reiterating Washington’s commitment to the seven decades old bilateral treaty which binds both nations to support each other in case of foreign aggression.The Republic of Philippine and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are currently not on cardial neighbourliness, as China claims its sovereignty over entire South China sea which draws a collision with several of its neighbours including Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, Brunei, and Veit naim who also claim their possession over the parts of the South China Sea forming/adjoining their territorial waters. There had been multiple clashes between Philippines Navy and Chinese Coast Guards in the past few years, that not only refreshed their tussle but each time attracted Washington formal political support and courtesy calls by US Naval vessels in show of solidarity with Manila.
Currently, an interesting situation has emerged at the global geopolitical scene, as the US and NATO are continuously feuling Russia-Ukraine war and supporting their non-NATO ally with all possible means. The Biden administration has a commitment to defend its regional allies Taiwan, Philippine and Vietnam, together with Washington’s self explanatory stance regarding free and open lines of communication in the South China and East China Seas. The US also has closed defence ties and security guarantees with Japan and South Korea, while it is always ready to defend the state of Israel against unarmed Palestinians and owes a conflict with Iran for the same reason.Presently, Washington is a party in a majority of the global disputes directly or indirectly, spreading across the globe from East Asia to Europe and Oceania to the Middle East.
The US government is blatantly burning hard earned tax payers money in useless war campaigns, amid serious domestic economic challenges, rising poverty and high cost of living in its nation. It would be better if US strategists steer those issues through political and diplomatic means instead of warmongering that will not only fulfil their strategic goals but will provide sufficient funds for public welfare along with building a positive image of their nation abroad.
