Editorial: Washington should not dump 'Cold War trash' into the Pacific

　　From March 28, the United States and the Philippines will hold a 12-day annual "side by side" joint military exercise on Luzon Island. Nearly 9,000 soldiers from both sides will participate in the joint military exercise. One of the biggest exercises."

In this regard, the United States is particularly excited. Major General Jay Bajron, commander of the US Marine Corps' 3rd Division, declared that the joint military exercise will strengthen the ability of both sides to "respond to real-world challenges".

Some Western media said, "Faced with China's growing self-confidence, the United States and the Philippines are eager to demonstrate the strength of their defense relations through military exercises."

　　However, it was also noted that the Philippine side only emphasized the bilateral security relationship between the United States and the Philippines before the start of the military exercise.

This is in stark contrast to the high profile of the US side.

　　In fact, this joint military exercise, which was announced early by the United States and dubbed the "largest scale", has far more political momentum than the military itself.

From the perspective of the number of people, the total number of "side by side" military exercises in 2018 before the epidemic was more than 8,000, and in 2019, there were 7,500. The total number of nearly 9,000 this year does not have a breakthrough significance.

It is the first time in many years that the number of US troops (5,100) exceeds that of the Philippines (3,800).

This can be seen from one side, the urgency that the United States needs such a "big show" to support the scene.

　　The reason behind it is also very clear. As Campbell, the coordinator of Indo-Pacific affairs of the US National Security Council, said recently, despite the Ukraine crisis, the United States will maintain its "focus on the Indo-Pacific region."

As the situation in Ukraine continues to stalemate and the energy of the United States is inevitably contained, if Washington wants to realize its so-called "focus" on the "Indo-Pacific region", it will stir up controversial topics and conduct military operations including joint military exercises. It is the most exciting and the most cost-effective.

Washington is all too familiar with this kind of arch-fire operation.

　　From the "Asia-Pacific rebalancing" under Obama to the "Indo-Pacific strategy" under Trump and Biden, Southeast Asia is regarded by the United States as a strategic fulcrum for playing with geopolitics.

But Washington simply doesn't understand the logic of development here.

The ten ASEAN countries have a larger population than the EU, but most of the member countries have weak economic foundations and face urgent development tasks. Some countries have not yet emerged from the turmoil, and their thirst for peace and development is overwhelming. This is highly consistent with China's attitude, but it is completely different from the direction of the United States.

　　On the same day that the US-Philippines military exercise began, China announced that at the invitation of Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the foreign ministers of Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Myanmar will visit China from March 31 to April 3 respectively.

In contrast, the "U.S.-ASEAN Extraordinary Summit" originally scheduled to be held in Washington on March 28 was postponed indefinitely. The White House first announced the date of the meeting unilaterally, and then repeatedly changed the date proposed by ASEAN leaders. change.

It is not difficult to see who is the party that respects ASEAN countries and who treats Southeast Asian countries as pawns.

　　After the Ukraine crisis, there are some voices of reflection in the Philippines.

They argue that the Philippines must avoid the fate of Ukraine, reject Washington's incitement to war, and at all costs avoid being a "proxy" or being used by any superpower as a pawn to surround another superpower.

Indeed, the recent situation in Ukraine has sent a warning to the rest of the world that the security of one country cannot be at the expense of the security of other countries, and regional security cannot be guaranteed by strengthening or even expanding military blocs.

Asian countries are reluctant to repeat the script of Washington's "turbulent waters" in Europe for profit.

　　Peace and stability in Asia are hard-won, and there is no room for countries outside the region to instigate destruction.

Washington wants to come up with its outdated security concept and forcibly sell it here, dump the "Cold War garbage" into the Pacific Ocean, and even want to create an "Indo-Pacific version of NATO". The final result must be that its dream is hit by the hard rocks in the Pacific Ocean. smash.