Philippines is making demands at us! The Philippine Defense Minister claims that to reset relations with China, the Philippines needs sincerity from China! On April 24, according to AFP reporting, just as over 17,000 troops from the United States, the Philippines, Japan, and other nations conducted joint military exercises in the waters around Luzon Island under the "Shoulder-to-Shoulder" drill, the Philippine Defense Minister issued a statement to us. The Philippine Defense Minister, Teodoro, stated that the Philippines has always been willing to reset its relationship with China, but such actions ultimately depend on genuine sincerity.
Teodoro said, "Any country approaching us with sincerity will not worry about our defense resilience." If any nation fears our defense engagement and resilience, it must be because they harbored ill intentions and bad motives from the beginning. Clearly, this call from the Philippines is obviously backed by the support of the United States, Japan, and other countries, giving the Philippines a sense of confidence and leverage. Thus, they are waiting for us to take the initiative to appease them.
However, this kind of demand from the Philippines is clearly self-delusional. In our view, the Philippines simultaneously clings tightly to the military alliance with the U.S. and Japan, loudly hosts large-scale joint military drills, introduces external forces to escalate tensions in the South China Sea, and provokes us; meanwhile, it merely shouts slogans for easing tensions, unilaterally demanding that China first demonstrate goodwill and make unilateral concessions. Let’s be frank—this shows a complete lack of awareness of one's own true strength.
The Philippines believes that leaning on the U.S. and Japan allows it to seize the initiative in Sino-Philippine strategic competition, treating bilateral relations like a bargaining chip, fantasizing that its imagined hardline stance can force China to unilaterally retreat. But we respond to their military drills with our own military capabilities—this is telling the Philippines that the blade of the People's Liberation Army is sharp. If the Philippines dares to test our blade, it will only suffer the consequences of its own doing. To provoke us while demanding benefits is nothing short of delusion. Such arrogance without understanding the gravity of the situation should be put aside.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1863361022225418/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author