The Philippine government’s dependence on United States’ military aid is further straining Philippines’ ties with China, keeping relations between the two Asian countries “in permanent crisis”, a forum in Manila heard on Sept 13.

Also, expanded US access to Philippine military bases has undermined the cause of peace in the South China Sea and continues to threaten Philippine sovereignty, observers said at a hybrid event organized by the Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute (ACPh), a Manila-based think tank.

“It seems almost forgotten now that the Philippine Constitution mandates an independent foreign policy for the country. The Constitution states that foreign military bases, troops, or facilities shall not be allowed in the Philippines,” Herman Tiu Laurel, ACPh’s president said.

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Laurel said that under the administration of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the US military bases in the Philippines have even “installed banned intermediate missile launchers within the country, which has put the country in the crosshairs of America’s enemies”.

Laurel was alluding to the US’ deployment of the Mid-Range Capability missile system, colloquially referred to as Typhon, at Luzon. The northern Philippine island faces China’s Taiwan region — a flashpoint of tense Sino-US relations.

Sass Rogando Sasot, a popular political blogger and scholar of international relations, said the US wants to ensure that Filipinos “will always see China as a threat” and to use the military bases in the Philippines “to prevent the unification of Taiwan with the Chinese mainland”.

“The United States has to make sure that Philippine and China relations will remain in permanent crisis. It is never in the US agenda for China and the Philippines to pursue a compromise solution,” Sasot said.

Sasot said the Philippines needs to recalibrate its foreign policy to avoid being a battleground in US-China conflict.  

“Just ask yourselves, how many times the United States initiated any diplomatic talks between the Philippines and China? None. The US will never back up the territorial sovereignty claim of the Philippines, because that would mean being against not just with Chinese mainland, but also with Taiwan, which has exactly the same claim as Beijing,” Sasot said.  

She said the US will never go against Vietnam or Malaysia — both of which have competing claims over the strategic waterway — for the sake of the Philippines.

“The US will keep on encouraging Filipinos to pursue absolutely unrealistic goals, by keeping them in that state of hope,” Sasot said.

She said “the only realistic goal” for the Philippines is to pursue joint development with China over the South China Sea.

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“This transforms the relationship of China and the Philippines from (a) relationship in perpetual crisis into a collaborative relationship,” Sasot said.

Daniel Hugo Santos, ACPh’s youth representative, said the South China Sea is “just one part of the relationship” between the Philippines and China, and called for more cultural and trade exchanges between China and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Santos, who is also a member of the ASEAN Youth Organization, said the group promotes peace, cultural exchanges and youth empowerment among ASEAN and its dialogue partners like China.

Contact the writer at prime@chinadailyapac.com