Philippines President Suspends Decision to End Defense Pact with the U.S.
It appears that President Duterte was bluffing in regards to ending the US-Philippines defense pact:
The Philippine president has suspended his decision to terminate a key defense pact with the United States, at least temporarily avoiding a major blow to one of America’s oldest alliances in Asia.
Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said Tuesday he dispatched a diplomatic note to the U.S. ambassador in Manila informing the U.S. government that the Philippines is delaying its decision to abrogate the Visiting Forces Agreement by at least six months.
Washington immediately welcomed the move.
“Our longstanding alliance has benefited both countries,” the U.S. government said in a statement released by its embassy in Manila. “We look forward to continued close security and defense cooperation with the Philippines.”
Stars & Stripes
You can read more a the link, but but Duterte is probably going to keep suspending this decision in order to keep pressure on the U.S. to give in to whatever demands he wants.
Duterte has come to realize that he cannot take on China. That’s the basis for his decision. There is no love lost between the U.S. and the Philippines, especially regarding the stationing of U.S. troops on Philippine soil. Filipinos are a fiercely independent people that suffered through 500 years of Spanish domination only to have the U.S. take over at the beginning of the 20th century, rule it for almost 50 years and then station thousands of U.S. troops here for another 50 years after that. Those are the facts, and they are undisputed.
Maybe it’s just economics.
China’s and the world’s economies will be devastated by COVID19 for some time. They won’t be expected to make good on whatever promises they offered to the Philippines.
Seeing them also butcher their milking cow (Hong Kong) is another sign they are not a reliable partner for economic development.
I think it’s both. China offers big rewards (look at Wall Street firm BlackRock still selling China as a good investment) with high risk (lots and lots of unmarried men make a country unstable, massive pollution like every communist hellhole, warmongering in and around the Spratlys, etc.). Hong Kong may have been the clarion call for Duterte; but he may see a lustful look (towards Manila) in Xi’s eye our leftist friends have missed.
The US is like (pardon my lack of eloquence) an ugly old ex… Friendly, familiar, dull, and annoying; but still well endowed with whatever they need.