Opinion | Biden’s US faces uphill battle winning back Asia’s hearts and minds – just look at the Philippines

The visit by Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien to Manila last weekend has given a glimpse of the challenges the incoming administration of US President-elect Joe Biden will face in returning to multilateralism and marshalling its long-standing allies to pursue a regional agenda.

During his visit, O’Brien announced a delivery of precision-guided missiles and other weapons to help the Philippines battle local militants with ties to international terror networks, and reiterated Washington’s pledge to come to Manila’s defence if it was attacked in the disputed South China Sea.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jnr said the weapons systems’ delivery fulfilled a pledge made by Trump to President Rodrigo Duterte, adding that the country looked forward to “training on the use of these weapons with the best and undisputed military power in the world”.

But Manila is not as reliant on Washington as it once was – in recent years, it has forged closer economic ties with Beijing, even while it challenges the latter’s expansive South China Sea claims, and has ambitions to be the first foreign market for the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles jointly developed by India and Russia. The Philippines also wants to acquire Russian rocket propelled grenade launchers and Kilo-class submarines.

The maritime nation has long yearned to develop its submarine capabilities, especially as most of its neighbours – Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand – already have them or are acquiring new ones. If the Russian submarine deal goes through, it would make the country the third operator of Kilo-class submarines in the region after Vietnam and Myanmar. Acquiring such assets would enable the Philippines to catch up with its neighbours, provide it with greater underwater domain awareness and enhance its capabilities to guard its vast maritime realm.