Philippines, China and America in the SCS

The latest news from the South China Sea (SCS) was that the Philippine Navy was holding exercises around Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal. This area has become a hotly-contested area between the Philippines and China.

- ELFREN S. CRUZ

In “America and the Philippines Should Call China’s Bluff,” an article last year by Marites Danguilan Vitug in Foreign Affairs, she said: “…Manila, with the support of the United States, must look beyond temporary negotiations with China and craft a longer-term approach for mitigating risks in the SCS. Marcos must calibrate his policy of transparency on Chinese provocations to spotlight Beijing’s bullying tactics while also maintaining visibility front against Chinese territorial violations. And Manila must be clear on what it expects from Washington, namely, US support in routine Philippine naval activities such as supply missions in areas that fall within the country’s exclusive economic zone.”

Vitug also issues a warning in the same article: “If the United States fails to provide its ally with the necessary support, Washington and Manila may both be thrown into the kind of escalatory spiral with China that they desperately want to avoid.”

This article was written when Biden was still president. However, the issues that Vitug raised here have become even more relevant with the new Trump administration coming into power this week. The big question for the Philippines is what the policy of the incoming administration will be towards China and the Philippines.