S Korea Piles In With US In Arming Up The Philippines
Date
10/8/2024 8:13:42 AM
(MENAFN- Asia Times)
MANILA – The Philippines and South Korea elevated ties to a strategic partnership, Manila's latest move to build a bulwark and stockpile more arms against China's rising threat in the South China Sea.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said after meeting counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr that the two sides had“opened a new chapter” and that his country would“actively take part” in the armed forces of the Philippines' (AFP) modernization drive.
Over the next decade, the Philippines is scheduled to invest up to US$35 billion under its Horizon 3 military modernization program, with a singular focus on naval and aerial acquisitions.
Over the past decade, South Korea has been a top supplier of modern military equipment, including fighter jets and warships.
Unlike its liberal predecessor under President Moon Jae-in – who primarily focused on the Korean Peninsula conflict and maintaining stable ties with Beijing – the conservative Yoon administration has more openly welcomed closer defense ties with Washington and like-minded powers in the region.
Cognizant of criticism of his perceived as pro-US foreign policy, especially by pro-China elements such as the powerful Duterte clan, the Marcos Jr administration has adamantly pursued its own version of a“multi-aligned” foreign policy.
To dispel accusations of overreliance on America, the Philippines has been proactively upgrading defense ties with a host of quasi-non-aligned nations, including India, New Zealand, and, most crucially, South Korea.
Although Seoul has a treaty alliance with America, the Northeast Asian nation has historically adopted more balanced foreign relations , including cultivating warm ties with Beijing and, at times, even with Tehran and Moscow in order to keep Pyongyang at bay.
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