tirsdag 7. desember 2021

Situation In Philippines Getting Ugly: Deep Divides, Xenophobia, US-China Tensions

Overshadowed by US-Sino friction and xenophobic rhetoric, the 2022 election campaigns are getting ugly. Old elites hope to derail leading candidates while consolidating a set of US-Philippine military faits accomplis before the vote.

Recently, China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) established a comprehensive strategic partnership, a new bilateral milestone. However, the future course of the post-Duterte Philippines is less clear. The goal of the once-dominant pro-US liberals is to tie Manila with the US-led Indo-Pacific front and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue – before the democratic vote. Will Manila deepen its integration with the ASEAN, rebalance its ties between the US and China and reinforce development? Or will it opt for militarized US ties, shun China, split the region and foster inequality?