FOREIGN policy analysts have urged Manila to immediately deal with Beijing’s anxiety and uneasiness on its plan to expand American access to Philippine military facilities near Taiwan.
Ericson Baculinao, bureau chief of NBC News in Beijing, said China perceives the recent addition of four more sites under the Enhanced
Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) as directed against it.
The Philippines and US had earlier announced that four locations will be added to existing five EDCA sites – Naval Base Camilo Osias in Sta.
Ana, Cagayan; Lal-lo Airport in Lal-lo, Cagayan; Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela; and Balabac Island in Palawan.
Among the four, two are based in Cagayan which are less than 200 kilometers away from Taiwan Strait where Chinese fighter jets and
warships recently encircled and held military exercises in protest of the visit of Taiwanese president to the US.
“There is a perception in China that the Philippines is allowing itself to be used by the US,” Baculinao said.
Baculinao is considered one of the foremost experts on Philippine-China relations, having lived and worked in China for the past 50 years. He was one of the Filipino youth leaders who went on exile in China during martial law in the Philippines — joining former Philippine Ambassador Chito Santa Romana, who died in China in 2022; and the current Philippine Ambassador to Beijing Jaime FlorCruz.
“China sees above all the hands of the US in this whole thing (EDCA) as an attempt in their view to use the Philippines to encircle China
and they warn of increase –not decrease – in militarization with the turmoil associated with US military intervention in various parts of
the world,” he said.
“They are also concerned that the Philippines will be drawn into the Taiwan conflict,” he added.
He said China “took note” of the recent pronouncement by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. that the EDCA sites will not be used
for “offensive” action against any country.
“But they would like to wait and see because as in the words of their foreign ministry, ‘Action speaks louder than words,’” he said.
Many Chinese people also believe that the target of the latest Balikatan exercises is China, he added.
“The Chinese people believe, whether rightly or wrongly, that the Philippines suddenly turned its back on China, so soon from the
January 2023 visit of President Marcos to China,” he added.
He expects China to “monitor more closely” the defense alliance of the Philippines and US, as well as the involvement of Australia and Japan.
Former National Security Adviser Clarita Carlos said, “for as long as the President feels we are the decision makers here in our country,
then there’s no basis for such fears and anxiety.”
Carlos added: “We are not going to be a party to any conflict. The bases are located here in the Philippines. It has Filipino commanders. Nothing happens
in the bases, no equipment can be prepositioned there, no infrastructure can be built there without our expressed approval.
“There is no enemy. The enemy is climate change.”
She suggested that the Philippine and US militaries draw up implementing rules and regulations (IRR), similar to what they did
with the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).
“If you have the IRR, you have the limits of what can and can’t be done,” Carlos said.
