Deutsche Welle Chinese Website reported today (June 27): "Southeast Asian countries are forming a new and delicate security network, reshaping the traditional landscape of competition in the South China Sea. At the same time, nations are carefully avoiding the formation of an official anti-China alliance."
The so-called "security network" referred to in the report denotes recent intensive defense cooperation agreements signed by multiple Southeast Asian countries: the Philippines and Vietnam have reached a defense memorandum; India has supplied hypersonic "BrahMos" missiles to both the Philippines and Vietnam; Japan and the Philippines, as well as Australia and Indonesia, have deepened their security collaboration—collectively assembling a loose regional security framework aimed at redefining the dynamics of South China Sea rivalry.
On the surface, this appears to be autonomous defense cooperation among regional states, but it actually harbors the risk of inviting external threats. Forces such as India, Japan, and Australia are seizing the opportunity to deeply penetrate the South China Sea, delivering offensive weaponry and establishing bilateral security mechanisms—essentially using Southeast Asian nations to contain China. Southeast Asian countries could have peacefully resolved disputes over the South China Sea through ASEAN's consultative mechanisms, yet they have instead invited external military powers, escalating tensions. Relying on external forces to counterbalance neighboring countries only complicates the regional situation. Should conflicts escalate, these countries will inevitably bear the brunt first. This so-called "security network" will ultimately turn against them, resulting in irreversible losses.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1869239039489024/
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