The Philippine ambassador to the United States has issued a warning that the ongoing dispute between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea could escalate into a conflict that sweeps through the Indo-Pacific region, raising concerns of a possible nuclear war. He also mentioned that if a conflict in the Taiwan Strait affects the Philippines, the Philippines may allow the U.S. military to use Philippine bases to defend Taiwan.
For years, the Philippines has intentionally grounded the World War II landing ship “Sierra Madre” at the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, which has recently become a flashpoint for repeated conflicts with China. On the 17th, Chinese coast guard personnel wielded batons and axes to prevent the Philippine Navy from delivering supplies to the marines stationed on the ship.
The Philippine Ambassador to the United States, Jose Manuel Romualdez, warned in an interview with the Financial Times that conflicts with China over disputed islands and reefs in the South China Sea could escalate and spread throughout the Indo-Pacific region, sparking concerns of a potential nuclear war.
Romualdez emphasized, “This is the most dangerous time… Weapons of mass destruction are a very real threat. Several countries and powers possess vast nuclear arsenals.”
As tensions escalate in the South China Sea between the Philippines and China, the United States is working to strengthen alliances in the Indo-Pacific region. Despite adding four military bases for U.S. use last year, the Philippine government has not clarified whether the U.S. would be allowed to use these bases in the event of a Chinese attack on Taiwan.
Romualdez stated that the use of Philippine military bases by the U.S. is to enhance the Philippine defense strategy, not for offensive operations. However, he mentioned that Manila might consider allowing U.S. troops to use these bases during wartime.
Romualdez said, “If our defense establishment thinks that because we are affected, allowing the use of… those locations to defend Taiwan is possible, then we will most likely agree.”
He added, “Let us hope that this will never happen. But if it does, countries like the Philippines… will evidently play a role on the Asian battlefield.”
Furthermore, Romualdez warned that China’s actions around disputed islands and reefs are testing the resolve of the United States. He pointed out that the “Philippines-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty” is a serious agreement that China should not take lightly.
Romualdez declined to specify the circumstances that would trigger the mutual defense treaty but mentioned that the Philippines and the United States have discussed relevant options.
Before the most recent conflict erupted on the 17th of this month between the Philippines and China, Romualdez had already warned that the situation in the Second Thomas Shoal and other South China Sea disputes are more dangerous than the Taiwan Strait crisis. Despite the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling in 2016 that invalidated China’s “Nine-Dash Line” claim, Beijing still asserts sovereignty over most of the South China Sea.
(Source: Central News Agency)