A FEW weeks ago, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delivered a speech at the House of Representatives on the importance of Japanese, American and Filipino security cooperation.
Barring a few noises about World War 2 and the importance of maintaining a strong Filipino foreign policy, Kishida’s visit went well, and I for one, think that this is a positive development.
To those who do not like this closer cooperation, or say that the Philippines should pursue an independent policy, that’s not how geo-strategy works.
The strong do what they can, the weak suffer what they must, and right now, the Philippines is vulnerable. A neutral or “independent” foreign policy means China will almost likely walk all over us and the entire region. Running to the United Nations or moaning about morality won’t do anything.
The best alternative to this situation is to find allies, and the Japanese are among the best ones around. Our interests are aligned. We share common security “issues.”
Japan also needs to keep the trade lanes open, as does Taiwan and South Korea.
In contrast, the Americans don’t actually need to involve itself in Asia, except in protecting American Pacific interests, and nuclear non-proliferation.
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. America, and the Western World in general, do not need Asia. America has fracking to sustain its energy needs. It has all its agricultural needs as well. And the sooner it can re-shore its manufacturing chain, or ship them to friendly countries, it has its industrial base as well. Once they have done that, I wouldn’t be surprised if the US goes isolationist again.
When that happens, the Philippines will need allies, local allies, who share the same interests as we do, and Japan is one of the best options with regards to that./PN
