The Visiting Forces Agreement not to be terminated.

[scott h]

8 minutes ago, Jack D said:

Are there no costs at all involved with maintaining free transit in the sea lanes?

Remember a few years ago all the piracy coming out of Ethiopia and Yemen on the oil tankers near the straights of hormuz and the horn of Africa? That wasn't even a "hot" war but it drove the price pf oil up. If lets say just for fun Taiwan was developing the islands in the south china sea, the USA wouldn't really care at all because Taiwan if a "friendly" nation. 

[Old55]

1 hour ago, Jack D said:

I respect your opinion, but would your opinion change if there was a new leader?... one that is friendly to the U.S?

After all, many forum members are U.S.citizens living in the Philippines... and other forum members (including myself) have moved back to our homelands with Filipina spouses (and their families are still living in the Philippines).

Is it really in the best interest of the U.S. to give up our support of the Philippines?

IMHO, the U.S. would be cutting off its nose to spite its face.

My wife and I both feel aid to Philippines is not in the USA's best interest. It's time for Philippines to take care of itself and for the US to support reliable proven friends. That's not to say we would stop humanitarian aid in time of true crisis.

[Old55]

3 minutes ago, scott h said:

Remember a few years ago all the piracy coming out of Ethiopia and Yemen on the oil tankers near the straights of hormuz and the horn of Africa? That wasn't even a "hot" war but it drove the price pf oil up. If lets say just for fun Taiwan was developing the islands in the south china sea, the USA wouldn't really care at all because Taiwan if a "friendly" nation. 

I'm not so sure Scott. You use the word "Developing" that's not the case with ccp China sizing territory of other nations by force. As much as we respect Taiwan if they sized territory of another nation by force that would to be an issue.

China's ccp is a problem and it's directly threatening Philippines. Clearly they own the President of Philippines.

[Gas]

53 minutes ago, Jack D said:

Agreed but that's NOT my point at all. 

The security and well being of ALL expats (and Filipino citizens) depends on having a strong Filipino military. After all, there are countries such as China that could potentially become hostile to the Philippines.

The U.S. has stepped up to the plate to help whilst "numerous Non-US countries" have not done so is also NOT my point at all.

The lack of adequate security of the Philippines can potentially affect the security of the U.S., since there are already signs of a cold war with China, and cold wars can possibly become hot wars.

Even some of the "numerous Non-US countries" could also be facing a risk of hostilities with China if there are no countries willing to support the Philippines.

JMHO

Why is that Americans seem to be in constant state of fear about what other countries might do?

A couple of years ago American expats in the Philippines were talking about how North Korean missiles could easily reach the Philippines and their strategy for exiting the Philippines. The year before that the jihadists were going to take control of the southern Philippines and we were all doomed. Seems to me there's a lot of scaremongering going on.

[Jack D]

11 minutes ago, Gas said:

Why is that Americans seem to be in constant state of fear about what other countries might do?

A couple of years ago American expats in the Philippines were talking about how North Korean missiles could easily reach the Philippines and their strategy for exiting the Philippines. The year before that the jihadists were going to take control of the southern Philippines and we were all doomed. Seems to me there's a lot of scaremongering going on.

I realize that the UK has been attacked for at least 2,000 years (beginning with the Romans) and most recently with Germany, but the U.S., which is a younger nation, has had its own share of attacks.

In recent years, the U.S. was attacked on December 7th 1941 by the Japanese and more recently, the U.S. was attacked my Muslim extremists (Al Queda) on September 11th 2001. 

What seems to be "scaremongering" is really a policy of trying to catch attackers before they attack the U.S. again.

[Gas]

49 minutes ago, Jack D said:

 

What seems to be "scaremongering" is really a policy of trying to catch attackers before they attack the U.S. again.

Nothing wrong with trying to catch attackers before they attack , but when i hear and see comments about China invading the Philippines it starts to get ridiculous in my opinion. 

 

Edited June 4, 2020 by Gas

[scott h]

1 hour ago, Old55 said:

by force

You hit the key phrase there Old, "force" china is just moving onto and developing some sand bars that no one was using before

[scott h]

1 hour ago, Gas said:

Why is that Americans

Not me! 

1 hour ago, Gas said:

North Korean missiles

I knew if the NKs fired they would shoot at Guam, Okinawa, Diego Garcia and maybe Yokohama first, they would run out of missiles before they got around the  PI  

You must hang around the Whimpey yanks 

[Mike J]

1 hour ago, scott h said:

You hit the key phrase there Old, "force" china is just moving onto and developing some sand bars that no one was using before

True, but who then becomes "owner" of the resources surrounding those sand bars?  I think that seems to be why other countries are upset.  Fishing rights and underwater oil deposits seem to be top of the list.

[GeoffH]

1 hour ago, Mike J said:

True, but who then becomes "owner" of the resources surrounding those sand bars?  I think that seems to be why other countries are upset.  Fishing rights and underwater oil deposits seem to be top of the list.

 

China would say 'China', most of the surrounding countries with claims to the South China Sea would say "not that area, that belongs to us".

There are a couple of sayings which apply here "Posession is 9/10ths of the law" and " Might makes right".

I'm not saying I aprrove of China going against international law, just that I doubt at this late point in time that theres a whole lot that can be done about it.

 

And then there is the issue of 'free passage' through the area, Japan and South Korea rely to a large degree upon supplies shipped through the South China Sea.

 

The other flash point is of course Taiwan.  I can't see China invading the Philippines but I wouldn't put the possibility of them invading Taiwan outside the realms of possibility in the future.