Pacific bullies

There’s nothing US officials love more than reiterating the commitments they’ve made to defend other nations if attacked. Last week Vice President Kamala Harris was sent to the Philippines to work out an expansion of US military presence under the EDCA.

While meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Harris reaffirmed that any attacks on Philippine vessels in the South China Sea would trigger a US response under the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty, saying “this is an unwavering commitment we have to the Philippines”.

Last Tuesday, she visited the island of Palawan—controlled by the Philippines but claimed territorially by Beijing, to deliver a speech aboard a Philippine Coast Guard vessel. Dave DeCamp writing for Antiwar said the visit is unusual and is “clearly meant as a message to Beijing as Harris will be the highest-level US official to ever visit Palawan”.

DeCamp continues, saying that the work to bolster the EDCA “is part of the US effort to expand its presence in the region to counter China, as outlined by the Biden administration’s Indo-Pacific Strategy”.

In Indonesia, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with his counterpart to push for stronger military ties, and was able to secure agreements “to expand bilateral military training and education, including through hosting new language training courses, expanding cooperation for emerging defense leaders, and enhancing combined exercises,” writes DeCamp.

If these come to pass under a Biden Administration, the Pentagon will have brought 3 of the 6 major territorial powers in the South China Sea under its sway, leaving just Vietnam and China, who maintain close ties, and Malaysia outside their scope of influence.

As was highlighted this month by the errant missile strike in Poland, the risk for escalation between nuclear powers—not by an act of Presidential decree or Congressional authority—but by accidents, false flags, misunderstandings, and technological malfunctions, is greatly increased in situations with the kind of military build-up taking place now on Taiwan and around the South China Sea.

Many US officials were quick to call for temperance when what was likely a Ukrainian interceptor missile went off course and struck a farm in Poland and prompting accusations it was a Russian missile. Whether the same attitude would be present if a missile struck a Philippino Coast Guard ship, or Taiwanese ship remains to be seen. WaL

Continue exploring this topic — Pacific — Biden Camp in Midst of All Out Diplomatic Blitz Across the Pacific to Catch Up with China

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Continue exploring this topic — South China Sea — Biden Yet Again Says the U.S. Military Would Battle China Over Taiwan