US warns Beijing of military response if China targets Philippine army
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The White House says that the US stands with its Philippine allies in upholding the 'rules-based' international maritime order."
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Members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the US military during Balikatan military exercises in 2022. (US Indo-Pacific Command)
Washington warned China of a US military response in case of an attack on the Philippine army, the White House said in a statement on Saturday,
Earlier this month, Manila announced that it will grant the US four more military bases on its soil, two of which will be close to Taiwan and one will be near the South China Sea, in an effort to offset alleged Chinese "increasing assertiveness toward Taiwan."
The 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, known as EDCA, provided the US forces access to five bases in the Philippines, the number of which has now increased to nine.
The new US bases in the Philippines could house US supplies and nuclear weapons in case of a future war, and during peacetime will host American arms and hardware.
The agreement has drawn criticism from Beijing, which recently claimed that it was a result of "US efforts to encircle and contain China through its military alliance with this country."
"The United States continues to track and monitor closely," the interactions between the Chinese navy and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea, the statement read.
The US stands with its, "Philippine allies in upholding the rules-based international maritime order."
China warned in early April that Washington was "endangering regional peace" through its military expansion in the Philippines.
"Out of self-interest, the US maintains a zero-sum mentality and continues to strengthen its military deployment in the region," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said.
This month also saw the largest ever US-Philippine joint exercise where over 17,000 soldiers trained with the aim to challenge China's presence in the Asia-Pacific.
The United States "must not interfere in South China Sea disputes, still less harm China's territorial sovereignty, maritime rights and interests and security interests," Beijing responded then.
Vulnerability
In February, the World Workers newspaper argued that the US' new military bases serve as the outstanding link in securing the "first island chain" in the US military's enclosure of China.
There is no reason to think that a joint-access military base extension will safeguard the Philippines given the lessons learned via the ongoing "US/NATO-instigated proxy war in Ukraine," which is being justified under the pretext of "protecting" Ukraine.
US activities in the region have threatened China, and as such the deployment of extra US military troops in Manila merely adds to the Philippines' vulnerability, according to the paper.
Read more: WW: US bases did not protect Ukraine, will they defend Philippines?
