Nearly 18,000 troops from the United States, the Philippines and Australia are taking part in the largest-ever military drills that they’ve held in the South China Sea. The military exercise began on Tuesday and will continue until April 28th. This comes as tension is escalating between the U.S. and China. The Philippines, a former U.S. colony, recently agreed to give the United States access to four more of its military bases, including two located in the northern province of Cagayan, which is about 250 miles from Taiwan. Ties between Washington and Manila have been growing closer since the inauguration of Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. — yes, the son of the former U.S.-backed dictator by the same name.
The recent war games — or, the ongoing military exercise in the Philippines is really intended to project U.S. power in this part of the region. And it has a very provocative nature, considering the tensions between the U.S. and China. The U.S. really wants to provoke China. And for the first time, they’re doing live exercises where they’re actually going to simulate the sinking of a ship in the West Philippine Sea. This is on top of having expanded U.S. bases in the Philippines, especially in areas that are near Taiwan and near the South China Sea. All this, taken together, would really raise tensions in the region and would trigger an endless arms race between the U.S. and China. And in that scenario, the Philippines would be caught between two opposing giants.
— source democracynow.org | Apr 12, 2023