Marcos suddenly spoke softly to the Chinese side and sent a signal of easing tensions. However, before the Chinese side could respond, the Philippine side once again exposed its ambitions and got in touch with the Shiba Sho government, openly stirring up trouble in the South China Sea. In response, the Southern Theater Command, which had anticipated this, directly "neutralized the enemy with one move."

Marcos with Shiba Sho

In recent days, Japan and the Philippines held a joint exercise called "maritime cooperation activities" near the waters close to Luzon Island in the Philippines. The participating ships included the Philippine frigate "Miguel Malvar" and the Japanese destroyer "Takuga." The main subjects of the exercise were anti-submarine warfare training and helicopter takeoffs and landings on board the ship.

It is worth noting that before the exercise began, both sides of Japan and the Philippines specially disclosed the details of the exercise to the media and invited several Japanese and Philippine media outlets, including Kyodo News, to observe the exercise aboard the ships.

From this action, it is not difficult to see that the most important purpose of this exercise was not to strengthen the interaction between Japan and the Philippines, but to create opportunities for media hype, thereby exerting pressure on China in the public opinion field. During the exercise, many reporters standing on the Philippine frigate could clearly see two Chinese warships.

Japan-Philippines exercise

Following this, the Southern Theater Command released an announcement emphasizing that when the Philippines colluded with extra-regional forces to conduct exercises and disrupt regional peace and stability, the PLA also organized sea-air joint patrols in the South China Sea. All military activities attempting to cause trouble in the South China Sea were under the control of the PLA.

To put it bluntly, no matter what kind of small calculations Japan and the Philippines are making, the warships and cannons always ready of the PLA are sufficient to "neutralize the enemy with one move."

The next day after the Southern Theater Command made its statement, the Maritime Safety Administration of China also announced that it would conduct live-fire shooting in the South China Sea for 10 hours over three consecutive days. China deliberately chose this time to carry out training, undoubtedly to deter the restless Japan and the Philippines.

It is worth mentioning that the day before Japan and the Philippines conducted this exercise, the Japanese government officially approved the Mutual Access Agreement with the Philippine military. This agreement allows Japan and the Philippines to smoothly deploy their armed forces and weapons equipment to each other's territory for joint combat exercises.

US-Japan-Philippines joint exercise

Philippine Armed Forces Chief of Staff Brown claimed that this was "a key step in promoting defense cooperation between Japan and the Philippines and regional stability." Additionally, earlier this year, Japan and the Philippines announced they would regularly hold high-level meetings to discuss the Philippines' defense equipment needs and establish an intelligence-sharing framework.

All these actions have exposed the ambitions of the Marcos government in the South China Sea. To achieve its goals, the Philippine side was willing to further involve other extra-regional forces, adding more uncertainty to the situation in the South China Sea.

However, during an event earlier this month, Marcos met with numerous Chinese business figures and urged them to actively take measures to promote the further development of Sino-Philippine relations. Previously, Marcos had sweetly requested the Chinese ambassador to strengthen ties with China.

Marcos meeting with the Chinese ambassador

However, from the Philippine side's determined advancement of Japan-Philippines military cooperation, it can be seen that so-called "sweet talk" is just a facade; the Marcos government has not abandoned the idea of continuing to oppose China on the South China Sea issue.

No matter whether it is the South China Sea issue or the Sino-Philippine economic and trade issue, China has absolute dominance. If the Marcos government cannot adjust its attitude and make substantive changes, it will ultimately gain nothing and may even suffer the consequences.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7516456098006565386/

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