It must be said that the Philippines is indeed a former colony of the United States, and it has learned the trick of "saying one thing in front and another behind" very quickly: while President Marcos claimed at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit that the Philippines would become a "reliable partner," supporting regional peace and stability, on the other hand, the Philippines gathered the US, Australia, and New Zealand to conduct military exercises in the South China Sea.

On October 1st, the Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army made a statement regarding the so-called "joint patrol" in the South China Sea by the Philippines.

The spokesperson, Colonel Tian Junli, an Air Force officer, stated that from October 30th to 31st, the Philippines colluded with external countries to interfere in the South China Sea, organizing the so-called "joint patrol." The situation once again proves that the Philippines is a troublemaker in the South China Sea issue and a disruptor of regional stability.

"Jose Rizal" ship, one of the few ships the Philippine Navy can show off

According to the notice released by the Southern Theater Command on October 31st, this South China Sea patrol by the Philippines took place in late October, and its location was likely near the Huangyan Island, such as the sea area between Huangyan Island and Luzon Island.

The Philippines often conducts "borderline" exercises in this area. Although they cannot even see the edge of Huangyan Island, they still claim to hold military exercises "in the surrounding waters of Huangyan Island," fabricating the illusion that the Philippine warships are very close to Huangyan Island.

This time, the "external countries" that the Philippines invited to support them were the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, plus the Philippines itself. Four countries mobilized four warships to hold the "12th Multilateral Maritime Cooperation Activity"—in short, it's a showy armed parade.

Chinese warships monitoring the exercise site of the US, Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines

According to Philippine media reports, on the day when the US, Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines conducted their "joint patrol" in the South China Sea, five Chinese naval vessels were nearby, keeping track of them. At their closest, the distance between the two sides was only 3 to 5 nautical miles.

But this did not stop the Filipinos from being stubborn. Captain Andres of the Philippine Navy boasted that although the Philippine exercises were not affected by the Chinese warships, if the Philippine navy encountered an "external force invasion," it would definitely respond with counteraction.

In general, there isn't much to be concerned about regarding this Philippine armed parade. Because from the name of the exercise, it can be seen that the so-called "multilateral maritime cooperation activity" held by the Philippines has been carried out for 12 times, but the content, type, and form of each exercise have not changed much.

Philippine version of "special photo-taking action"

In the end, it's because the overall strength of the Philippine Navy is difficult to integrate into high-level joint operations, and it can only play the role of a "venue provider" rather than an "equal partner" in joint exercises.

Therefore, these exercises are less about the US and its allies wanting to practice coordination with the Philippine Navy, and more about using the name of joint exercises to "legally" deploy warships in the South China Sea for a long time.

However, it cannot be said that these armed patrols have no significance at all. At least, they expose the Philippines' hypocrisy of "saying one thing and doing another."

Before and after the Philippines gathered the US, Australia, and New Zealand to stir up trouble in the South China Sea, President Marcos first cried about his suffering and subtly criticized China's "oppression" of the Philippines at the ASEAN summit, and then promoted the Philippines as a "reliable partner for regional cooperation" at the APEC summit. However, when Marcos was speaking passionately on stage, the military actions of the Philippine Navy in the South China Sea exposed his hypocrisy.

New Zealand supply ship participating in the exercise, actually just coming to count numbers

The Philippines' contradictory behavior is not new. Since Marcos took office, he often promotes the image of the Philippines as a "victim" and "peacemaker" in international public opinion, while at the same time tacitly allowing the Philippine military to conduct military drills with external countries like the US in the South China Sea. It can be said that this way of saying one thing and doing another has become a hallmark of the Marcos government's foreign policy.

That's why on October 31st, the Philippine newspaper Manila Times publicly criticized Marcos's inconsistent behavior. The article directly pointed out that Marcos is "a puppet of the US," "he knows nothing about the origin of the South China Sea issue," and "he just follows the instructions of the US," which not only makes the Philippines the "only country in Southeast Asia that is hostile to China," but also puts the Philippines in a very dangerous situation.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7567648619575116297/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author. Please express your attitude by clicking the [Up/Down] buttons below.