China's Increased Bullying of Philippines to Test US Resolve
by Lawrence A. Franklin • December 27, 2023 at 5:00 am
Despite the allegedly warm atmosphere of the San Francisco Summit between China's Communist Party leader Xi Jinping and US President Joseph Biden, the Chinese dictator reportedly told Biden, "that Beijing will reunify Taiwan with mainland China but that the timing has not yet been decided," and "that China's preference is to take Taiwan peacefully, not by force."
It is clear that Xi is doubling down on his claim of sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea, starting with Taiwan, and understands that he might have only a few "good" months left.
American and Chinese military leaders have communicated by video link on December 21, after a hiatus of more than a year. Hopefully, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Brown took the opportunity to raise the issue of China's bullying of Philippine vessels in the South China Sea with his Chinese counterpart, General Li Shang-fu.
The latest aggressive move by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) took place when a Chinese Coast Guard ship deluged three Philippine vessels with water cannon on December 9 and 10. This assault resulted in severe engine damage to one of the Philippine vessels necessitating it to be towed to home port.
