China would ‘seize’ the Philippines in a war with the US: former military chief Bautista

The two superpowers would seek to control the Philippines because of its strategic location between the South China Sea and Pacific Ocean

The retired Philippine general’s remarks reflect growing concerns about China’s encroachment, but he said he was against deploying maritime militia

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A US Navy guided missile cruisers and guided missile destroyer are seen in the South China Sea in April. The US has a defence treaty with the Philippines that commits both signatories to come to each other’s assistance if either is attacked. Photo: Handout

Published: 9:00am, 30 Oct 2020Updated: 9:25pm, 30 Oct 2020

The Philippines should expect China to seize control of some of its waterways if a war breaks out between Beijing and Washington, according to former Philippine armed forces chief Emmanuel Bautista.

The archipelago’s strategic location with routes linking the South China Sea and Pacific Ocean make it a “key terrain”, the retired general told an online forum last week.

He identified these routes as the Bashi Channel next to the Batanes and Babuyan islands near Taiwan, and the straits of Mindoro, Cebu, Balabac, San Bernardino and Surigao within the Philippine Islands.

“If you want to influence the South China Sea, you need to control these chokepoints,” he said.

Overlapping claims in the South China Sea. Source: SCMP

Bautista served in the military for over 30 years, and was chief of staff of the armed forces from 2013-2014. He is also a former executive director of the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea, which was created in 2016 by the previous administration to coordinate the efforts of all government agencies in promoting the country’s interests in the maritime zone.

Even though China has said it would not start a war amid escalating tensions with the US, Bautista said Beijing was getting more aggressive in the disputed sea and at its border with India, where a military stand-off has continued since June.