Recent headlines from Democracy Now describe the US plans to increase its military presence in the Philippines and the growing opposition movement there. Renato Reyes, spokesperson for the New Patriotic Alliance, states that:
“We are very opposed to the plans to re-align and deploy more U.S. troops in the Philippines, and we are very aware that this is in line with the U.S. strategy to build up its armed forces in Asia to counter China. And we feel that the Philippines might be caught in the rising tension between the two countries if we allow the U.S. to base their troops in this region.”
And it seems increasingly clear that the Philippines are indeed just one part of a larger US strategy of containing China. According to this article at the Centre for Research on Globalization, the US grand planÂ
“includes maintenance of its troops in South Korea and Japan, which, according to reports, number from 70,000 to 85,000; the deployment of 2,500 Marines and tightening of air force cooperation with Australia; and stationing of combat ships in Singapore.”
In addition to maintaining a large number of troops in Korea, the US also has plans to dock air-craft carriers, destroyers, submarines, and a missile defense system at a military facility that is currently being constructed by Samsung at the southern end of Jeju Island. Articles in Japan Today and the New York Times describe some of the local opposition to these plans.
