Tag: Sara Duterte

Philippines aims to acquire Typhon missile launcher as regional arms race intensifies

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)
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China is against the deployment of the Typhon in the Philippines, which has been used in joint military exercises involving US troops

Philippines aims to acquire Typhon missile launcher as regional arms race intensifies

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian’s Regular Press Conference on August 30, 2024:

Bloomberg: The Philippines’ top military official said that the deployment of the US missile system in the country was mainly for training. China has been in the past said that the weapon system could be destabilizing. Does the Foreign Ministry have any comments on the recent comments by the Philippines’ military chief?

Lin Jian: On the US deployment of Mid-Range Capability missile system in the Philippines, China has made clear our opposition more than once. This move by the US and the Philippines incites geopolitical confrontation, escalates tensions in the region, and harms regional peace and stability. It has aroused high vigilance and concerns of countries in the region. The Philippines needs to have a clear understanding of the real intention of the US, respond to the common concerns of regional countries, avoid acting as the cat’s paw for the US at the expense of its own security interest, and quickly pull out the missile system as publicly pledged.

PH: Bongbong Marcos among Time’s 100 most influential people of 2024

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

PBBM among Time’s 100 most influential people of 2024

“Bongbong has stood steadfast against Chinese aggression in the disputed South China Sea and bolstered his nation’s alliance with the US in the face of rising tensions in the region and the world,” read a portion of Marcos’ profile in the 2024 Time 100 issue.

“Many problems persist, including extrajudicial killings and journalists routinely attacked. But by trying to repair his family name, Bongbong may reshape his country too,” it added.

President Marcos is listed in the Leaders category, along with Yulia Navalnaya, widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny; Poland Prime Minister Donald Tusk; Taiwan President-elect Willian Lai; Argentina President Javier Milei; Qatar Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Adbulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani; World Bank Group President Ajay Banga; Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni; and Chinese Premier Li Qiang; among others.

Hyperlinks added by me.

Related:

Time 100: Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

Pulse Asia: Marcos approval down 13 points, Sara’s by 7

Marcos’ approval rating went down from 68 in December 2023 to 55 in March 2024.

His trust rating went down from 73 in December 2023 to 57 in March 2024.

Philippines’ ‘assertive transparency’ strategy is causing them to miss out economically

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

The Philippines is going all in with the United States and bracing itself against lost Chinese largesse. President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr will fly to Washington next month to attend the US-Japan-Philippines trilateral leaders’ summit. It will be his fourth visit to the US since taking office as president less than two years ago.

South China Sea: Philippines must softly manage disputes or miss out economically

Previously:

PH: Compared To China, US Trade, Investment Offers Laughable + More

SCS: The Office of Naval Research funded Stanford’s GKC

US Primes the Philippines for War on the People’s Republic of China

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

20-11-2023: In a short space of time, the Philippines has been transformed from a friendly neighbour of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), to one which is being pushed in the direction of a hostile adversary. The election of President Ferdinand “Bong Bong” Marcos Jr has been the catalyst for the tilt towards the US hegemon and away from an ally of the PRC and of the Russian Federation, which was cultivated by the former Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte. In fact, it is potentially much worse than just a shift in foreign policy. As The New Atlas points out, the Republic of the Philippines is being shaped into being South-East Asia’s “Ukraine” – a hapless Nazified proxy of US imperialism destroying itself in a failed war on Russia.[1] However, this rapid about turn is not being implemented in the Philippines without opposition, seemingly from such allies of the former President Duterte as current Vice President Sara Duterte (the daughter of Rodrigo Duterte) and former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. While it is the case that Rodrigo Duterte and Sara Duterte have not always been side by side in politics, it does appear as though the Philippine elite are dividing on the pro-US course of Marcos Jr.

US Primes the Philippines for War on the People’s Republic of China