By Wang Bing
It is reported that the Philippine military started two weeks of combat drills on November 4 with the participation of more than 3,000 Filipino army, navy and air force personnel. Philippine military officials said that the exercises were not directed against any country, but they also claimed that the exercises included seizing control of an island in the South China Sea.
Citing the exercise director, the Philippines media reported that exercises for this year's iteration will be held in the areas of the Puerto Princesa, Palawan-headquartered Western Command (Wescom) and Tarlac City-based Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom). The exercises are expected to last until November 15 and will include live-fire drills using artillery and assault rifles and beach landing drills.
According to Chinese military observer Teng Jianqun, the Philippines' timing of this exercises during the US presidential election is not without ulterior motives.
He thought that this exercise by the Philippines covers a wide area, involves a relatively large scale, and includes some of its main military units. The large-scale exercises conducted by the Philippines during the US presidential election served two purposes. One is to demonstrate its military capabilities and resolve to resist, and the other is to pledge allegiance to the US. In recent years, the US has notably intensified its strategic use of the Philippines, which appears to have emboldened the Philippines with a sense of security.
Philippine media reported that the Philippine military will conduct a simulation exercise in the South China Sea aimed at seizing an island, though no further details have been provided.
Teng Jianqun pointed out that the Philippines is conducting this highly targeted exercise as an act of unreasonable provocation. The island seizure scenario in the exercise is clearly aimed at the several islands and reefs it has long sought to encroach upon. The Philippines hopes to demonstrate its operational capability and confidence in seizing islands and reefs through this exercise.
Teng Jianquan pointed out that both historical and jurisprudential facts have established that China holds indisputable sovereignty over the relevant islands and the adjacent waters in the South China Sea. It is clear that the Philippines is acting provocatively without justification.
It is reported that next year, the US and Philippine militaries will conduct their largest annual joint military exercises, which are expected to include activities in the so-called disputed areas of the South China Sea.
Regarding the future of US-Philippine military cooperation, Teng Jianqun believed that though the US has strategic interests in the South China Sea, it is completely delusional for the Philippines to think that it can rely on the US to stir up trouble in the region.
In recent joint military exercises, the US has deployed the Patriot missile system, the HIMARS rocket system, and the Typhon land-based Mid-Range Capability missile system to the Philippines. This is part of the US Pacific Deterrence Initiative in the Western Pacific region, which aims to engage in great power competition with major powers in Asia by building a missile system that is both offensive and defensive.
Therefore, the US is actively orchestrating the situation in the region, using the opportunity to expand its strategic positioning, military assets, and sphere of influence. At present, the Philippines risks serving as a tool for the US, and should conflicts or tensions flare up in the South China Sea in the future, it could be the Philippines that faces the consequences first.
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.
