The US Embassy in the Philippines released a statement recently that the US will invest $8 million for the modernization of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). This appears to be a "sweet deal" for the Philippines, as it aligns with the so-called Indo-Pacific Strategy of the US and its involvement in stirring up tensions in the South China Sea.

In reality, the Philippines will pay a price that outweighs the benefits behind the "sweet deal."

Let's start with the US deployment of medium-range ballistic missiles in the Philippines. In April this year, the US took advantage of a US-Philippines joint military exercise to deploy the land-based Mid-Range Capability missile system, known as "Typhon", to Luzon in the Philippines. It marks the first time the US has deployed medium-range ballistic missiles overseas and in the Asia-Pacific region. It is also the first deployment of such strategic weapons by the US since its withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 2019.

The US claims that the deployment will bring security to the Philippines. However, placing offensive strategic weapons near another nation's borders by a nuclear power will inevitably threaten regional peace, provoke an arms race, and create heightened tensions and divisions. Facing strong opposition from multiple neighboring countries, a Philippine Army spokesperson announced in July that the Typhon system would be shipped back to the US by September at the latest. However, just recently, the spokesperson told the media that the duration of the deployment of the Typhon system in the Philippines will be decided by the US.

It has sparked outrage among neighboring countries and triggered widespread criticism within the Philippines. Senator Imee Marcos, the current President's sister and chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stated that the Marcos administration is leading the Philippines down a dangerous path. Aquilino Martin "Koko" dela Llana Pimentel III, the Senate Minority Leader of the Philippines, pointed out that the launch buttons for these missiles are not under Philippine control, and therefore, foreigners will be able to decide when to turn the Philippines into a battlefield.

Why does the Philippines, as a sovereign nation, appear subservient to the US under its current government? There are multiple reasons.

Historically, the Philippines was a long-time colony of the US and it has been deeply influenced by traditional colonial culture. To this day, this influence can still be seen in the textbooks used in the Philippines. This September, several media outlets revealed that the social studies textbooks for grades 5 to 7 published by the Department of Education of the Philippines had whitewashed the history of the American colonization of the Philippines. For instance, the textbooks defended the actions of the American soldiers who fired the first shot in the Philippine-American War, while omitting the death toll of over 200,000 Filipinos. In terms of diplomacy, the current Philippine government's subservience to the US is also evident.

Luo Wanwei, head of the Philippine Institute for National Security Studies, bluntly stated at the 11th Beijing Xiangshan Forum not long ago that the Philippines are colonized by Western countries with a strong anti-China attitude. He urged that the Philippines, as one of the founding members of ASEAN, should adopt the foreign policy in the ASEAN way, not the US way.

In reality, the Philippine government has made a serious strategic misjudgment, thinking that it would be secure with the US as its backing, but it failed to realize that it is merely a pawn in the US strategy. Since 2023, the US has stepped up its so-called Indo-Pacific Strategy, drawing the Philippines, which has territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea, into it. Meanwhile, it has provided what it claims to be support in areas such as diplomacy, intelligence, and public opinion, leading the Philippines to fantasize that it can rely on the US for both security guarantees and economic development benefits.

But can the US really be trusted? Does the Philippines receive a "sweet deal" or a "poison pill" from the US?

From the announcement of $500 million in military aid to the Philippines at the end of July to the recent pledge of $8 million to help upgrade the PCG. On the surface, the US provides some financial support. However, many analysts point out that this is likely a strategy of offering promises without substantial returns, with potential strings attached, such as imposing various conditions or requiring the Philippines to pay for related training costs. In the end, the real beneficiary is likely to be the US. This has been verified in the US aid to Ukraine. Earlier this year, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed that most of the military aid to Ukraine would return to the US and create a large number of jobs in the US.

Now, the US is employing old tactics once again. It tries to offer the Philippines small incentives to pull it deeper into the South China Sea conflict and tie it more closely to the US agenda, pushing it to advance US hegemony while serving as a pawn in its geopolitical strategy.

If the Philippine government continues to blindly follow, it will not only lose its independence and freedom, becoming a victim of great power competition, but it will also fuel domestic conflicts and cause social division. The backlash effect has already emerged, and the Philippines should rein in its actions before it’s too late.

Editor's note: Originally published on news.cri.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.