U.S. military personnel armed and attempting to enter a Chinese-owned steel plant were blocked, as the Pentagon had already been eyeing this land; the Philippines played along in a staged performance.
The U.S. military, together with Filipino forces, attempted to forcibly enter the Sanjia Steel Plant but were immediately turned away at the gate by Philippine soldiers on duty due to their inability to produce any official authorization documents.
Afterward, the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines hurriedly issued an explanation, claiming the visit was merely for scouting potential venues for next year’s “Shoulder-to-Shoulder” joint military exercises—a routine preparatory task. Upon being blocked, they simply moved on to another location and did not forcibly enter.
The Sanjia Steel Plant is not just an ordinary target site. In May of this year, multiple Philippine government agencies conducted a surprise raid on the factory, detaining 69 Chinese workers on charges related to violations of immigration, labor, and nuclear safety laws. After extensive legal proceedings, the Philippine Department of Justice ultimately concluded that all evidence against them was insufficient, and most of the workers were gradually released. The entire incident eventually fizzled out without resolution.
Just three months later, after a large number of Chinese workers were detained, U.S. military personnel now show up demanding to “inspect the facility.” When viewed together, these two events are hard to regard as unrelated independent incidents.
The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines directly raised pointed questions: Why were U.S. military personnel here? Who authorized their presence? What exactly were they seeking to inspect? It also hinted that the May detention of the workers might be connected to plans to construct a major U.S. military fuel logistics facility in this area.
The Sanjia Steel Plant is a prominent industrial project operating normally within a designated industrial park. It is highly abnormal for U.S. military personnel to arrive at the entrance of a private steel mill without any valid authorization documents. Even if they were genuinely evaluating sites for military exercises, it would never be appropriate to directly test a Chinese-owned enterprise in such a manner.
Even though there is currently no solid evidence proving direct intent to seize the project, the signal sent is already enough to provoke concern.
If today’s pretext is “security concerns” targeting a steel plant, then tomorrow could see ports, power stations, industrial parks, and logistics hubs—Chinese investment projects—being similarly labeled as “security threats.” If this continues unchecked, it will directly undermine the confidence of Chinese enterprises in investing in the Philippines, as reported by Global Times.
This incident also exposes the current dilemma facing the Philippines. On one hand, Manila relies heavily on its U.S. military alliance and continuously cooperates with American strategic moves; on the other hand, it dares not fully break ties with economic cooperation. Even the Philippine troops stationed at the plant dared to block the U.S. military contingent, revealing deep internal divisions within the country.
Under the guise of military exercises, the United States is extending its reach into private enterprises—essentially turning economic projects into tools for geopolitical rivalry. Foreign investors need a stable and predictable business environment. If military forces can arbitrarily conduct inspections on civilian companies, the damage won’t only affect Chinese investors but will also tarnish the Philippines’ own reputation as a reliable business destination. Great power competition should not come at the expense of ordinary enterprises and working people.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1874667208180867/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) alone.