In their recent in-person meeting, President Joe Biden told Chinese President Xi Jinping that he doesn’t want a new Cold War with China. But actions speak louder than words: a week later, Vice President Kamala Harris headed to the Republic of the Philippines to stoke conflict with China over the South China Sea.
The visit by Harris came two months after Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. As speaker of the House of Representatives, Pelosi is second in line to the president. Her visit was a major violation of the U.S. “One China” policy. It was also a declaration of U.S. war preparations.
Taiwan is a part of China, has been for 500 years, and the entire world, including the U.S. government, recognizes this. Yet with U.S. military backing, Taiwanese separatists have come to power and now the U.S. is arming them and threatening to go to war with China.
Vice President Harris made a special point to visit the Philippine Province of Palawan, 200 miles from the Spratly Islands. In the past decade or so, the U.S. has been stoking conflict between China and its neighbors in Southeast Asia and the Philippines who have territorial claims over part of the string of atolls.
The U.S. Navy has carried out what they call “freedom of navigation” exercises around the islands. Imagine if China sent a guided missile destroyer into the territorial waters of the U.S. to defend their right to sail anywhere in the world.
The U.S. military maintains naval facilities, which are being expanded, on the Palawan archipelago. For Harris to visit Palawan is a provocation against China.
Pledging to “defend” the Philippines if it comes under attack drove home the point: the U.S. is preparing to launch a war against China. Should that happen, the Philippines will be used as it has been in every U.S. war in Asia. 7000 miles from the continental United States, the Philippines will again be the forward base for imperialist aggression.
Filipinos from the national democratic movement rallied against Harris outside the U.S. embassy in Manila. Lisa Masa of the International League for People’s Struggles denounced U.S. warmongering. In addition, the U.S. is continuing to support the illegitimate and corrupt government of Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. in its vicious repression of the Filipino people as they struggle for their democratic rights.
U.S. imperialism is threatened by China because the U.S. empire is maintained in part by the U.S. domination of the world economy. The U.S. needs that position to continue to reap super profits from across the globe. As the great Black revolutionary Malcom X said, “You show me a capitalist, I’ll show you a bloodsucker.”
U.S. threats against China need to stop, as do U.S. war preparations.
U.S. out of the Philippines!
Hands off the Peoples Republic of China!
