US urged to boost PHL military amid Spratlys dispute
A key official of the Heritage Foundation, a Washington D.C.-based think tank, exhorted the United Statesâ policymakers to âhelp provide the Philippines the military wherewithal to withstand Peoplesâ Republic of China pressure." Walter Lohman, director of the Asian Studies Center of the Heritage Foundation, said in a âWebMemo" that the U.S. âmay very well find itself in a position where it cares more about the security of the Philippines" than the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The policy commentary comes less than three weeks after the U.S. Coast Guard turned over a Hamilton class warship to the Philippines. The Philippines bought the 115-meter cutter for about P450 million with funds from the Malampaya natural gas project royalties. Lohman acknowledged ASEAN as âthe most logical, neutral forum for regional diplomacy," but he also criticized it as a multilateral grouping that âconsistently wins on engagement and loses on substance." âThat is not a formula can trust with its interests," according to Lohman. Lohman urged U.S. officials to pursue âmore direct avenues⦠which prudent use of ASEAN Forums can supplement." âAmericaâs principal interest in the South China Sea is freedom of navigation, and its most effective instrument in this regard is the U.S. Navy," Lohman stressed. He said ASEAN has âdeeply ambivalent" stance about Chinaâs ascendance as a regional power and affects the regional groupâs effectiveness in addressing conflicting territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Lohman also disparaged the ASEANâs Bali agreement, forged only last July, as a set of confidence-building measures that produced only âmeager results" and conceded to Chinaâs approach to âvociferously" reject multilateral solutions. âAll the 2002 [Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea] agreement did was provide the opportunity to set aside ASEANâs disagreements with China for the cause of broader, lucrative economic engagement. The July 2011 Bali guidelines simply kick the can down the road again. And for this, ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan called it an âhistoric" achievement," Lohman opined. He also noted that effectiveness of ASEAN is also affected by the fact that its chairmanship is rotated âthrough a number of cautious and/or China-deferential countries, such as Cambodia, Brunei, Burma and Laos." The Heritage Foundation official advised America to âkeep its alliance network front and center" and urged U.S. officials to âlook for ways to expand bilateral strategic partnerships, with Vietnam and India in particular." â ELR/KBK, GMA News