China lately has intensified its military coercion of the Philippines in and around islands/ reefs claimed by it in Philippines territorial waters in South China Sea after years of feigned friendship with the Philippines.
Departing from his predecessor President Duterte's pro-China policy, incumbent President Ferdinand Marcos Jr Ferdinand on assuming presidency in June 2022 has tried to balance relations with China but with a noticeable tilt towards the United States.
President Marcos Jr in initial stages of his presidency made a visit to China hoping that China would keep the peace with the Philippines. However, he has made two trips to the United States in an effort to add substance to the existing US-Philippines Mutual Security Treaty which had over the years become rusty due to past Presidents.
President Marcos Jr seeking security guarantees from United States was impelled by China's deliberate actions to prevent re-supply of its garrisons on shoals in South China Sea by aggressive cations of Chinese Coast Guard ships.
China's latest provocation against the Philippines has been the release of its New Map which extends China's Nine -Dash Line imposed by it in South China sea even further to include additional control over Philippines maritime sovereignty.
It needs to be recalled that based on Philippines complaint, the International Hague Tribunal had dismissed China's sovereignty claims over the South China Sea. But China continues to defy the ruling and has embarked on heightened provocations in South China Sea.
The Philippines now finds itself more pointedly in China's military crosshairs because President Marcos Jr has doubled the access of US Military Forces to nine Filipino military bases, including some in the North facing Taiwan.
Additionally, during present tenure of President Marcos Jr large scale Joint Military Exercises between US Forces and Philippines Armed Forces have taken place in the Philippines.
While the avowed aim of these Joint US-Philippines Military Exercises was said to dwell on 'Conter-insurgency operations', it should be apparent that the main aim is to develop interoperability to meet perceived threat from China.
US President Biden recently committed the United States to militarily assist the Philippines in event of any aggression against its sovereignty.
India like the Philippines has been the victim of Chinese aggression on its land borders with China Occupied Tibet, cartographic aggression in the same New Maps of China and China's more than intrusive presence in the Indian Ocean.
The Philippines finds itself additionally in China's military crosshairs because of India's political and military reachout to Philippines arising from India's 'Act East' policy.
India's security ties with the Philippines have intensified with India having agreed to supply the Philippines with 3x Batteries of the dreaded BRAHMOS Cruise Missiles, posting of a Defence Attache in Manila and the Philippines expressing interest in additional Brahmos Missiles Batteries along with other defence hardware.
The significance of India supplying the Philippines with BRAHMOS Missiles has not been lost on China and hence its annoyance manifested in increased provocative military actions against the Philippines.
In Conclusion, it needs to be stressed that while no formal declared synergy has taken place between the United States and India to jointly indulge in military 'capacity-building' of the Philippines, but the coincidence is there.
And, that coincidence of United States and India is not lost on China and hence the Philippines finds itself in intensified military crosshairs of China.
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