Honor America’s ‘ironclad commitment’ to the Philippines

In late 2012, I spoke at an event in Tokyo about the South China Sea. One panelist presented on China’s recent seizure of Scarborough Shoal, a fishing ground well within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone.

The United States had recently brokered a deal to defuse a standoff between the Philippines and China at the shoal. It called for both the Philippines and China to withdraw their coast guard ships from the area. The Philippines withdrew. China did not. The Chinese have occupied the shoal ever since. China betrayed both the U.S. and its ally the Philippines. The U.S. did nothing.

A senior Philippine official was sitting next to me. He despairingly said to himself, “There was nothing we could do.”

I didn’t say anything — but I should have said: “Yeah, there was plenty we could have done. But we didn’t. I’m sorry.”

Over 10 years later, one feels like saying the same thing.

From Scarborough Shoal to Second Thomas Shoal

Chinese coast guard ships and Maritime Militia boats are roughing up Philippine resupply boats and their crews at Second Thomas Shoal — another location international law has determined belongs to the Philippines but that China wants. The Philippines deliberately grounded one of its navy ships, the BRP Sierra Madre — an 80-year-old U.S. World War II tank landing ship — at the shoal in 1999 to assert ownership after China occupied Mischief Reef, also within Philippine territory. The personnel on the Sierra Madre need regular resupplying, something China is determined to block.

The Filipinos are overwhelmed and will soon be unable to penetrate the Chinese flotilla and access their own territory and people.

Recently, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin affirmed Washington’s “ironclad commitment” to the Philippines under the Mutual Defense Treaty, or MDT.

He reiterated Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s earlier assurance of America’s ironclad commitment.

Following the June 17 Chinese bludgeoning of Philippine boats, the U.S. State Department declared, “The United States stands with its ally the Philippines.”

“Stand with” perhaps means something different in Washington than it does in Manila.

It does not appear to mean U.S. forces going out with Filipino allies where it might be dangerous and the Chinese are waiting to pounce.

And the Filipinos notice.

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