This article argues that the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the Philippines and the US, while intended to strengthen Philippine security, could actually leave the country vulnerable in a conflict with China. The author cites US military reports warning that Chinese missiles could quickly disable US airbases in the Philippines, rendering American air power ineffective. The agreement, which grants the US access to nine Philippine military bases, is criticized for putting the Philippines in a precarious position by aligning it with the US against China.
SINCE its inception in 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has maintained its neutrality toward big powers, the opposite of the United States-led Southeast Asian Treaty Organization, or Seato alliance, the region's now-defunct equivalent of the West's North Atlantic Treaty Organization .
The AU article 'Strikes All Over Pacific: ACE Risks Greater Destruction Throughout the Indo-Pacific' cautions: 'Today, the number of potential ACE hub and spoke locations and airfields is dwarfed by the number of Chinese missiles.'Indeed, even if the nine EDCA sites are trebled to, say, 50, the PLA has hundreds of projectiles to take out those airfields, along with commercial airports if any are used by US aircraft.
Philippines ASEAN US China EDCA
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