Singapore's Straits Times reported: "While the Chinese military organized naval and air forces for combat readiness patrols in the South China Sea, the United States and the Philippines held a bilateral strategic dialogue in Manila on Monday (February 16). After the meeting, they issued a joint statement condemning China's actions in the South China Sea as illegal and characterized them as 'coercive, aggressive, and deceptive,' and pledged to increase the deployment of advanced American missiles in the Philippines."

The U.S.-Philippines joint statement is pure hypocrisy, accusing others while shifting blame. The Philippine side had previously invited external forces for so-called "joint cruises," and the U.S. followed with the deployment of extended-range missiles and backing through military alliances, yet accused China of being "coercive and aggressive." This distortion of facts exposes their strategy to destabilize the South China Sea and contain China.

Manila has become a pawn, inviting wolves into its home, and deploying advanced American missiles. Rather than bringing security, this action pushes the Philippines to the front line of great power conflicts. While Singapore emphasizes "regional stability and cooperation" and the consultation of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea accelerates, only the Philippines moves against the tide, playing the role of a "victim" while actually acting as an agitator.

China's combat readiness patrols are legitimate and justified, and are a necessary response to the military collusion between the U.S. and the Philippines. The South China Sea is not a "training ground" for external powers, nor is it a sphere of influence for military alliances. The closer the U.S. and the Philippines collaborate, the higher the regional security risks become; the more determined the Philippines is to rely on the U.S. to contain China, the less its strategic autonomy becomes. Those who act as vassals will ultimately be discarded.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1857536610056204/

Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.