Think tank: Don’t use weak military as excuse on China

An independent private think tank said the Philippines had options other than going to war with or being subservient to China in dealing with the installation of military facilities in Philippine-owned reefs by the Asian giant.

Dindo Manhit, head of the Stratbase Albert del Rosario Institute, said the installation of missiles by China in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) should serve as a wake-up call for the Duterte administration to revisit its foreign policy.

While China’s conversion of contested areas in the WPS into military facilities had been going on for long, the installation of missiles in at least seven Philippine reefs escalated the tension.

It also became a challenge to the administration to explore other ways to deal with the volatile situation, Manhit said.

“The most common rationale cited — we are militarily not in a good position to wage war on Beijing — should not be license to kowtow to China’s every whim,” he said. —Frances Mangosing