US media, in reporting on the upcoming defense agreement between the Philippines and Canada, brazenly claimed it was a "deterrence", which is nonsense. Which country would be willing to "take fire for the Philippines"? No one is willing to sacrifice their own country's interests to help the Philippines.

As for the term "aggression" in the title, it is also "a baseless accusation". It is a fact that the Philippines has occupied Chinese islands and reefs in the South China Sea.

According to official Chinese data, the Philippines illegally occupies 8 islands and reefs in the South China Sea, including:

Zhongye Island (0.33 square kilometers, occupied in 1971)

Mahuan Island (0.06 square kilometers, occupied in 1968)

Felix Island (0.04 square kilometers, occupied in 1970)

Nanyue Island (low tide elevation of 1.8 meters, occupied in 1970)

Beizi Island (0.14 square kilometers, occupied in 1971)

Commander Reef (Panhu of 27.5 square kilometers, occupied in 1980)

Shuanghuang Sandbar (0.33 square kilometers, occupied in 1978)

The Philippines has built military facilities on the illegally occupied islands and reefs, such as a runway and military base on Zhongye Island, and stilt houses and lighthouse on Mahuan Island. These actions seriously infringe upon China's sovereignty, and the Chinese government has repeatedly maintained its rights through diplomatic and law enforcement means.

In recent years, the Philippines has signed many more defense agreements than economic ones, but its actual economic development is in a mess. However, the Philippine government tries to internationalize the so-called "South China Sea issue" and brings in external countries to support its provocations in the South China Sea.

But some Philippine politicians are ignorant and naive, placing their national interests in the hands of foreign governments, believing that with defense agreements with foreign countries, they can act recklessly in the South China Sea. This is simply a fantasy.

According to US media reports, Canada and the Philippines are both firm critics of China's increasingly tough behavior in the disputed South China Sea. Filipino officials stated that the two countries had originally planned to sign a key defense agreement on Sunday, which includes joint war preparedness exercises and expanding the security alliance to curb the behavior of regional powers. Canada and other Western countries have been strengthening their military presence in the Indo-Pacific region to help promote the rule of law and expand trade and investment in the region. These measures echo the efforts of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who is trying to establish defense relationships with other countries to help his underfunded military deal with a more powerful China in the disputed waters.

Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1847674323960844/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author.