US Vice President Harrison is on a business visit to the Philippines, why not Biden?
2022.11.20 06:56
US Vice President Harrison is on a business visit to the Philippines, why not Biden?
Budrigannews.com – US Vice President Pence arrived in the Philippines on Sunday for talks to revive relations with Asia’s oldest ally and said he was ready to take action against Taiwan.
Harris is scheduled to meet with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whose Biden administration is seeking to strengthen ties with allies worried about China’s growing influence in Southeast Asia and a possible conflict over Taiwan, an autonomous island that China considers its home country.
The Philippines is an important part of this diplomatic push. According to military analysts, military access to the country adjacent to the South China Sea at just 193 kilometers from Taiwan could significantly complicate attempts by China to invade Taiwan.
In Marcos, son of the former dictator of the Philippines and namesake, President Joe Biden and his national security aide look at strategic and surprisingly powerful allies for his primary foreign policy challenge – competition with China.
“It makes sense to invest a high level of attention to restore deep cooperation at all levels with this young, populous, prosperous and strategically placed ally,” said Daniel Russell, now the top U.S. diplomat for Asian society and East Asia under former President Barack Obama.
Harris’ visit will be the highest level trip to the Philippines by the administration and will mark a sharp change in relations.
Marcos’ predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, disappointed Washington with a strong approach, proximity to Beijing and a belligerent tone that included someone who called Obama a “son of a bitch.”””
With Marcos in power, the Biden administration is trying to reset.
Biden called Marcos the night after his victory was announced, mostly to avoid awkward questions and send a congratulatory message, according to a person familiar with the call.
“I think I woke you up on election night. I called you so late to congratulate you,” Biden later said after the two men met for the first time in May during a playful exchange on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Biden also sent Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, to the 5-6 inauguration of President Marcos to greet the Philippine leader.
The success of this first outreach, according to another person involved in diplomacy, Harris has already made a trip planned for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Thailand.
The leaders will discuss both Taiwan and the South China Sea, and will share a note about Marcos’ Thursday meeting with Xi on Monday and Biden’s meeting with Chinese leaders.
“The United States does not take us for granted,” said Jose Manuel Romuardes, Manila’s ambassador to Washington. Marcos, of course, responds to this in a way that shows the United States that we are your friends.”
Finding Allies in Southeast Asia
In Asia, the United States faces challenges in building a coalition to block China’s actions against Taiwan. Many countries in the region are reluctant to disrupt their huge neighbors, which are not only military forces, but also major trading partners and sources of investment.
While Washington is integrated into the military and economy of Japan and South Korea, it faces more skepticism about China’s strategy among various voices in Southeast Asia.
In response, the Biden administration has taken a series of steps, including welcoming ASEAN leaders to the White House for the first time and asking Congress to spendド800 million in 2023.
Biden himself toured the area and stopped in Cambodia and Indonesia.
Harris sent a pointed symbolic message to China on Tuesday when he met members of the Philippine Coast Guard in an island town in Palawan Province on the edge of the South China Sea.
Beijing, citing historical maps, claims the sea off Palawan and some territory for most of this sea. A2016 International Arbitration ruling, however, said China’s claim had no legal basis, and that it still has a victory for Manila to come into force, which is believed to have huge deposits of oil and gas in the sea and is also the scene of海上5 trillion in maritime trade annually.
On the other hand, the crisis in Taiwan could destabilize the Philippine economy and cause a refugee crisis.
Washington has invested millions to help modernize the Philippine military, but the country has not pledged to support US intervention in the conflict over Taiwan. Romualdes said on the 9th that the Philippines “will offer help for our own safety only if it is important to us.”””
“The open campaign plan for China, the plan for Taiwan, is always very sensitive,” said Randall Shriver, a former U.S. undersecretary of Defense focused on the region. “All this needs to be traversed carefully.”
Arsenio Andron, a spokesman for the Philippine Defense Ministry, told Reuters that China had no reason to fear Mr. Harris’s visit.
“We have no engagement with her during her visit,” Andolong said. “So there should be no reason not to make any of our neighbors feel threatened.”
A senior Biden administration official provided another summary. “China can accept whatever message it wants,” the official said.
