US involvement in the West Philippine Sea dispute

Source:  Interview: 'Political Stability at Home' Key to South China Sea Peace   http://asiasociety.org/blog/asia/interview-political-stability-home-key-south-china-sea-peace

Last June 4, Huang Jing, Director of the Center on Asia and Globalization at the Singapore-based Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, will join Patrick Cronin,  Senior Advisor and Senior Director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, and Hung Nguyen, Associate Professor of Government Politics and Director of the Asia-Pacific Studies minor at George Mason University for a discussion on present tensions in the South China Sea.

On the question “Do you believe an increased U.S. military presence in the South China Sea serves to stabilize, or further destabilize, current relations between regional states?”

Huang Jing : “I would argue that the issue is not whether there is an increase in U.S. military presence in the South China Sea, but how such an increase is perceived in the region. If it is perceived as means to maintain a necessary strategic balance in the region, it will surely serve to stabilize current relations between regional states. But if it is perceived as means for intervention in territorial disputes, for whatever reasons, it would probably serve to increase the uncertainty in the region because it would force the regional states to take sides, not on how to maintain peace and stability, but on a territorial dispute in which only the involved parties have a stake. Fortunately, the United States government position has consistently been that the U.S. is not to involve in territorial dispute in the region.”

U.S. Secretary of State Clinton also explained that, "The United States has a national interest in freedom of navigation open access to Asia's maritime domain." Competing claims over territory and energy have become a source of international tension and threaten peaceful passage through this waterway. For the parties involved, there is little alternative but to arrive at a negotiate settlement, yet therein lies the challenge — China prefers bilateral negotiations while the other economies of Southeast Asia prefer multilateral discussions through ASEAN. Will resolution be found and how will this conflict unfold in light of the U.S. "strategic pivot" to the region?

What about the Philippine sovereignity?

In the face of escalating US involvement in South China Sea and West Philippine Sea, US will require  permanent facilities in the Philippines, one thing that the Philipines has junked some years before. The VFA has been rammed into the throat of Filipinos purportedly to help in modernization of the AFP. 

Both measures has met strong opposition in the Philippines as it is in  violation of the Philippine sovereignity, even long before the territorial dipute with China.

The Philippine government is acting like a child running to its 'big brother' for comfort when confronted by the bully. Of course we must cry HELP!!! because we have neglected in securing a fully equipped and trained military organization in the past and continue to rely blindly on the US assistance. We do not have the industry which could make us autonomous from foreign aid, both economically and militarily. So, now that we need the muscle to defend our sovereignity, all we can do is to offer it to USA on silver platter in exchange of assistancve to defend that sovereignity.

It is a bitter fruit to chew, but that is the true picture.

###