Vol. 76/No. 17      April 30, 2012

This comes in the midst of expanded U.S. military presence in the region and after a five-day naval standoff between China and the Philippines over a shoal claimed by both countries.

On April 8 Philippine aircraft spotted eight Chinese fishing boats anchored in a lagoon at Scarborough Shoals, a chain of reefs and islands in the South China Sea. The Philippine navy dispatched the Gregorio del Pilar, its biggest warship. Later the same day two Chinese surveillance ships arrived and positioned themselves at the mouth of the lagoon. Saying it was Chinese territory, they ordered the Philippine vessel to leave. Its captain refused, saying it was Philippine territory and insisting on confiscating the catch. After a five-day standoff all the fishing boats left with their cargo intact.

More than half of the world’s supertanker commerce travels through the South China Sea and it is believed to hold vast reserves of oil and gas. Territorial disputes involve Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

The U.S.-Philippine military drill, held near the shore of the Palawan group of islands, will include training Filipino marines in retaking a hi-jacked oil rig and mock beach invasions along coastlines facing China. A similar drill was held in October with 3,000 troops. Palawan is close to the Scarborough Shoals.

According to the Washington Post April 14, the Obama administration is holding talks with Manila about expanding the U.S. military presence in the Philippines. Under consideration are operating U.S. Navy ships from Philippine bases, deploying troops on a rotational basis and more frequent joint exercises. Some 600 U.S. special operations troops have been stationed on the southern island of Mindanao since 2002.

In early April 250 U.S. marines began training in Darwin, Australia’s northern-most city. They are the first of 2,500 troops to be deployed.

The government of Vietnam—reunified in 1975 following defeat of Washington’s war to roll back the Vietnamese Revolution—has since 2003 established limited ties with the U.S. military. Since 2009 Vietnamese bases have opened up for U.S. Navy port visits and ship repairs. In July there were joint exercises with three U.S. warships. In August a Navy ship visited the Vietnamese naval base at Cam Ranh Bay for the first time in 38 years.

According to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Navy ships and marines participate in more than 170 bilateral and multilateral exercises and conduct more than 250 port visits in the region each year.

President Obama has declared that reductions in defense spending will not affect U.S. presence in the Asia-Pacific.

While still lagging far behind U.S. naval and air power, China has made substantial military advances in a relatively short period. It has developed a new generation of stealth jet fighters, an aircraft carrier and the world’s first land-based antiship ballistic missile able to change course to hit a moving aircraft carrier, presenting a growing challenge to the U.S. imperialists’ hitherto unchallenged domination of the Pacific.

Meanwhile, the class struggle is heating up in the countries of both rival powers amid the deepening worldwide crisis of capitalism. According to the Economist, China’s spending on internal security last year for the first time was higher than military spending, an indication of Beijing’s deep concern.  
 
 
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