Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

South China Sea: why did Duterte bar Philippine military from US exercises?

South China Sea: why did Duterte bar Philippine military from US exercises?

President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the Philippine navy not to join US-led military exercises in the South China Sea.

“The president has a standing order … that we should not involve ourselves in naval exercises in the South China Sea, except in our national waters, [within] 12 miles of our shores,” defence secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Monday.

Lorenzana said the ban was aimed at keeping a lid on tensions in the area, where unease has been rising amid a sharp increase in patrols and surveillance of the area by the United States. Recently, the US departed from its neutral stance on territorial disputes involving various South China Sea nations to describe Beijing’s claims in the area as “unlawful”.


Filipino Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana visits Philippine-occupied Thitu Island in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Photo: Reuters



“Definitely, if one country’s action is considered belligerent by another, tension will normally rise,” said Lorenzana in ruling out Philippine participation in US exercises.

Analysts said the ban was an effort to placate China and distance the Philippines from its traditional ally, the US.

According to former senator Antonio Trillanes, a retired navy officer, “to the US and other allies, that directive is a clear manifestation of Philippine support of China’s foreign policy in the West Philippine Sea”.

The West Philippine Sea is the Philippine government’s official designation for the eastern parts of the South China Sea that are within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

“That [directive] would now be factored in by the US as they analyse the balance of power in East Asia and the Pacific,” said Trillanes.

Jose Antonio Custodio, a security analyst and non-resident fellow of Manila-based think tank Stratbase ADR Institute, said the move fitted a pattern in which Duterte had scaled back various joint exercises with the US since becoming president in 2016.

Among the events to have been affected were the annual Balikatan (‘shoulder to shoulder’) exercise, Phiblex (US-Philippine Amphibious Landing Exercise) and Carat (Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training Exercise).



Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte: has talked of ‘pivoting’ to China. Photo: EPA


Duterte has previously talked of pivoting the Philippines towards Beijing and away from the US, but the policy has proved particularly controversial when it comes to the South China Sea, where Manila and Beijing have conflicting territorial claims.

Under the previous administration of Benigno Aquino III, the Philippines had filed a case opposing China’s claims at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.

It won the case, with the court ruling in 2016 – shortly before Duterte came to power – that the nine-dash line that China uses to mark its claims had no basis in international law. Beijing has rejected the court’s decision, while Duterte has said several times that he might set it aside in favour of closer economic ties with China.

According to former senator Trillanes, “That directive [not to join military exercises] is clearly a pro-China foreign policy. It wouldn’t have been known to the public if Secretary Lorenzana hadn’t volunteered the information.”

He said: “This is not the first time it has happened during the Duterte administration; in fact, there is a standing order with the Philippine Navy not to patrol the contentious waters in the West Philippine Sea to appease China.”

According to Trillanes “this was confided to us by a senior Armed Forces of the Philippines area commander back in 2017”.

Trillanes said “the message of the Duterte government to China is unambiguous subservience, Duterte wants to demonstrate his allegiance to China at a time that it is beleaguered on so many fronts.”




Custodio said Lorenzana’s remarks were “consistent with the pro-Beijing stance of the Duterte administration”, adding that “under Duterte it’s been difficult to have multilateral exercises”.

He said when the Balikatan exercise was held, the Philippine armed forces had not wanted the media to cover it to avoid antagonising China.

Political analyst Robin Michael Garcia, who received a doctorate in international politics from Fudan University, said: “Lorenzana and Duterte are afraid of communicating to China that we are on the side of the US.”

“The Duterte administration thinks China is an offensive state but it’s not. This is where the fear is coming from.”

Despite Duterte remarking several times that he intends to break defence ties with Washington, the Philippines continues to maintain defence relations with, and receive military assistance from, the US.

Custodio said the Philippines also had obligations as a treaty ally of the US.

This month the Philippines is sending a warship to participate in Rimpac20 (Rim of the Pacific Exercise 2020) in Honolulu, Hawaii. The country’s first guided missile frigate, the Jose Rizal, built in South Korea, will be joining several navies in what is billed as the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise. Rimpac20 is expected to take place from August 17 to 31

BALANCING ACT

Increasing tensions between the US and China have been made worse by Washington’s recent deployment of two aircraft carriers to the South China Sea and Philippine officials have since described Manila’s position as a balancing act between the two superpowers.

Commenting on recent military activity in the South China Sea, Lorenzana said he hoped all parties would “exercise prudence and carefulness so there will be no miscalculations that could further increase the tensions”.

However, Custodio said it was “ridiculous” for Lorenzana to suggest exercises within 12 miles of shore could go ahead.

“That’s too restrictive. What can you do in 12 nautical miles? You can’t even conduct strict manoeuvres, it’s too confined,” he said.

“It practically rules out the Philippines participating in any activity, in any multilateral activity in the South China Sea.”

According to Garcia, “the argument is that if [exercises take place] beyond 12 nautical miles, it is in the interest of the US instead of our interest”.

“That assumption is incorrect because freedom of navigation is also in the interest of the Philippines. The country has an interest in making sure there is freedom of navigation in trade and other areas.”

Custodio said Lorenzana’s message appeared to be that the Philippines was “unable to fulfil its obligations as a member of an alliance and is unwilling to participate in the international effort to bring China to task for its territorial expansionist activities in the South China Sea”.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
×