Opinion | How Washington’s ambiguity in South China Sea puts the Philippine-US alliance at a crossroads
- Richard Heydarian writes that the Philippines could ‘downgrade’ its long-standing association with the US if Washington remains unclear on its commitments in disputed waters
“I announce my separation from the United States,” the tough-talking Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte declared during his first state visit to China. Two years later, the Philippines has formally called for a formal review of its decades-old alliance with the US.
Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, formerly a long-time Washington defence attaché, made it clear that Manila isn’t ruling out the abrogation of the 1951 US-Philippine Mutual Defence Treaty.
While the review could serve as a springboard for fine-tuning the alliance, which has been hobbled by disagreements and commitment issues in recent years, it’s ultimately a double-edged sword.
After all, proponents of warmer ties with Beijing could very well lobby for downgrading the Philippine-US alliance in favour of strategic neutrality, especially if both parties failed to agree on the necessary upgrades.
The call for review was met by shock and disbelief among many observers, who expected an immediate and sustained thaw in bilateral relations after Washington returned the famed Balangiga Bells to the Philippines.