Why China’s ‘militiasation’ of the South China Sea needs a review by the Philippines-US alliance
- Richard Heydarian writes that Manila and Washington could rewrite their pact to target emerging threats in the South China Sea – including the recent ‘grey zone’ ramming of a Philippine fishing boat by a suspected Chinese militia vessel
“Never let a good crisis go to waste,” the late British prime minister Winston Churchill advised.
Ahead of his fourth State of the Nation Address on Monday, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is coming under growing pressure to dial down his rapprochement with China.
The Reed Bank crisis, which saw a suspected Chinese militia vessel sink a Philippine fishing boat in June, has energised those who advocate upgrading the Philippine-US alliance.
Latest surveys show a growing number of Filipinos now favour both a tougher stance in the South China Sea and more cooperation with traditional allies against China.
This month, the Philippines and the United States will officially begin the annual review of the Mutual Defence Treaty signed in 1951.
This year’s review, however, is likely to be the most crucial since the end of the cold war, mainly because it comes after Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana openly questioned the alliance’s utility and relevance to the Philippines today.