US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo assured the Philippines on Friday that Washington would protect Manila if its forces are attacked in the South China Sea. But according to the Philippine Star, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte queried Pompeo's assurance.
To invoke the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty requires the approval of the US Congress. However, US President Donald Trump is facing a budget stalemate in a disagreement with lawmakers. "They still do not have a budget. I almost experienced that," Duterte said.
Duterte was questioning the US system and Manila doubted whether Washington would fulfill its hollow promise of protecting the Philippines. This shows that Manila is obviously losing trust in Washington. Such distrust has fundamentally shaken the US' Indo-Pacific strategy. In fact, the strategy is not in line with Asia-Pacific development at all. Aiming at re-dividing the whole region, the strategy reflects Washington's cold war mentality.
Apart from questioning the US system, the Philippines was also worried that the US would drag it into a war with China in the South China Sea. Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Tuesday that the Philippine government should review the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty. "The Philippines is not in a conflict with anyone and will not be at war with anyone in the future," he said. Thus the situation seems to be awkward and ironic for the US: Its close ally does not seem to appreciate the so-called US protection at all.
This is not surprising. Just like other countries in the South China Sea, the Philippines also has territorial concerns and development needs. Although there are territorial disputes among countries in the region, the stability of the South China Sea can be guaranteed - as long as there is a reasonable and reciprocal settlement mechanism, such as negotiations over the South China Sea Code of Conduct.
China is working on maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea, which will benefit all the countries in the region.
But the US is not. It has been muddying the waters. Instead of bringing peace and prosperity to the Philippines, Washington's promises only trigger Manila's worries.
The US is even losing its ability to muddy the waters as the Philippines is questioning the so-called US protection and has lost faith in the US system. This only proves that Washington's Indo-Pacific strategy is doomed to failure.
Starting a war with China does not tally with the Philippines' strategic vision. Duterte cares about the budget and his target of governance, which is developing the Philippines economy.
What the country needs is peaceful negotiations and steady development. The country doesn't need anything that, as Lorenzana said when referring to the Philippines-US Mutual Defense Treaty, "will cause confusion and chaos during a crisis." The US should stay out of China-Philippine relations instead of being a geopolitical troublemaker or else it will eventually lose the trust of all its allies.
