Communist media in North America have spoken out against the latest moves by US imperialism to strengthen its web of alliances in the Pacific region, targeted principally on the People’s Republic of China.
On April 19, Otis Grotewohl, reporting on the April 11 meeting of US President Biden with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishima and President of the Philippines, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. wrote in Workers’ World that:
“While the White House claimed the meeting focused on ‘peace and security,’ Biden’s own ‘tough-talk’ description of the gathering could be perceived as a threatening gesture towards China and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as well as all working-class and indigenous peoples residing near the Indo-Pacific and South China Seas.”
He added:
“The summit was met by a militant protest from a Philippine-led coalition that includes BAYAN USA, Malaya Movement USA and the Tuloy Ang Laban Coalition. Organisers of the event said they were particularly appalled by the showing of Marcos Jr., son of the former right-wing dictator, Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
“The elder Marcos was president from 1965-86 and ruled the Philippine islands under martial law from 1972 until 1981, with the full blessing of US and European imperialists. Many labour unionists and leftists disappeared and were gruesomely slain during Marcos’ ‘ironclad’ rule.”
He also outlined the history of the RIMPAC naval exercises, which have been held since 1971 and are the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise. A final planning conference for the 2024 exercise was held at the Point Loma Annex Naval Base in San Diego on March 25-28. According to Grotewohl:
“Washington claims it is not using the event as a forum for provocations against the governments of China, DPRK or Russia, but its actions tell a different story. That China, DPRK and Russia are not allowed to attend RIMPAC exercises, but Israel is, exposes the hypocrisy of US leaders.”
Meanwhile, the April edition of TML Monthly, published online by the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) (CPCML) detailed the protests of national democratic organisations in the Philippines against the 39th US-Philippines Balikatan Joint Military Exercise, which began on April 22 and will end on May 18. These are the largest such war games to date, involving more than 17,000 US and Philippines soldiers, almost twice as many as last year.
This year, the Australian Defence Force and French navy are also joining the war games. Eighteen other countries, including Canada, are participating as “observers.”
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), a broad alliance of progressive and patriotic Filipino organisations, called the military war games “a shameful proof of the subservient foreign policy of the administration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. by allowing the increased presence and intervention of genocide-enabling and imperialist foreign military forces.”
The Philippine human rights organisation Karapatan also condemned Balikatan 2024, pointing out that the heavy presence of US troops on the Philippines islands is a violation of the sovereignty of the Filipino people and a provocation against China which could lead to a military conflict between the two countries with people of the Philippines in the middle. Karapatan pointedly denounced the recent first-time deployment of the US mid-range Typhon missile system which is capable of reaching the Chinese mainland. The missiles were introduced in the context of the Balikatan war games, Karapatan noted, further signalling the US intention “to use Philippine territory as a launching pad for hostile acts against China.”
Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment also underscored that the US plans to use the Philippines as cannon fodder in confronting China. “History has also shown that US intervention has always led to war and tragedy – and widespread, long-term environmental destruction, as well. These have been seen in the US-led wars in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Ukraine, and Palestine,” the organisation said.
Bayan called on the Filipino people to resist the Balikatan war drills, oppose the US provocations in the region and expel US military facilities and other foreign troops in the country.
For its part, Karapatan called on the freedom-loving people of the Philippines and the world to “forge the broadest solidarity front against US imperialist intervention and war-mongering in the South China Sea and in other areas of the world.”
The following articles were originally published by Workers World and TML Monthly.
U.S.-led ‘Trilateral Summit’ promotes militarism in the Pacific
President Joe Biden met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishima and the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., on April 11. Dubbed as the “Philippines-U.S.-Japan Trilateral Summit,” the event was held in Washington, D.C.
While the White House claimed the meeting focused on “peace and security,” Biden’s own “tough-talk” description of the gathering could be perceived as a threatening gesture towards China and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as well as all working-class and Indigenous peoples residing near the Indo-Pacific and South China Seas.
Following the assembly, Biden told reporters, “The United States defense commitments to Japan and to the Philippines are ironclad. They’re ironclad.” (AP news, April 11)
The summit was met by a militant protest from a Philippine-led coalition that includes BAYAN USA, Malaya Movement USA and the Tuloy Ang Laban Coalition. Organizers of the event said they were particularly appalled by the showing of Marcos Jr., son of the former right-wing dictator, Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
The elder Marcos was president from 1965-86 and ruled the Philippine islands under martial law from 1972 until 1981, with the full blessing of U.S. and European imperialists. Many labor unionists and leftists disappeared and were gruesomely slain during Marcos’ “ironclad” rule.
While Marcos Jr. campaigned for president as a “moderate” in 2021 and 2022 when compared to his father, as well as his predecessor Duterte, protesters see his presence at the meeting with Biden and Kishima as selling out the people of the Philippines for profit and continued militarism.
Just one day before the summit, the U.S. and Japan made an official pact with Britain to conduct future joint military exercises in the Indo-Pacific in 2025. It is clear by the state leaders’ behavior that they are not interested in providing genuine “peace and security” for the people of the Asia Pacific.
RIMPAC 2024: a convergence intended for saber-rattling
The U.S. Third Fleet hosted a final planning conference for the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024 Exercise at the Point Loma Annex Naval Base in San Diego on March 25-28. RIMPAC is a gathering of military ships from two dozen countries that serves as the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise.
The U.S., Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia’s navies were the first to participate in the initial RIMPAC fleet. Starting from the early 1970s, war game exercises have been held biennially. RIMPAC 2024 is scheduled to take place this June.
The U.S. has participated in every RIMPAC exercise since the first convergence in 1971, and the Pentagon largely coordinates the whole event. The U.S. Navy’s Indo-Pacific Command officially spearheads RIMPAC fleets, and it also receives assistance from the U.S. Marine Corps, Coast Guard and National Guard forces stationed in Hawaiʻi, which Washington seized from its Indigenous people in the 19th century. RIMPAC headquarters are in Hawaiʻi. Participants of RIMPAC exercises normally converge near the stolen shores of Honolulu.
This year’s RIMPAC exercise is expected to host battle ships from more than 25 countries. Israel, which is now carrying out a deliberate genocide, is among the countries permitted to take part.
Countries from different continents often request to send ships to RIMPAC, and not all are U.S. allies or clients, but Washington decides who participates.
Russia and People’s China are currently prohibited from having a presence at RIMPAC fleets. Russia took part in one RIMPAC exercise for the first and only time in 2012, but was quickly uninvited two years later after Russia refused to recognize the NATO-backed “Maidan” coup government in Ukraine in 2014.
Vietnam has participated in some RIMPAC gatherings even though early RIMPAC exercises targeted that pro-socialist country.
People’s China participated in a couple of RIMPAC gatherings over the years, but was officially barred in 2018. The removal of China from RIMPAC exercises came as Chinese people, especially in rural areas, were making material gains during President Xi Jinping’s leadership between 2013 and 2018. It is no coincidence China was disinvited from RIMPAC fleets just as millions of people in the country’s rural areas were emerging out of poverty.
South Korea, still occupied by U.S. troops, is a frequent participant of RIMPAC naval drills. South Korea is expected to attend this year’s war exercise, just as that country’s current president has made many aggressive maneuvers aimed at socialist Korea in recent months.
Washington’s claims it is not using the event as a forum for provocations against the governments of China, DPRK or Russia, but its actions tell a different story. That China, DPRK and Russia are not allowed to attend RIMPAC exercises, but Israel is, exposes the hypocrisy of U.S. leaders, along with the type of company they wish to keep. So much for improving “peace and security.”
Plans to confront RIMPAC 2024
Revolutionary activists with the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) confronted the RIMPAC 2024 planning conference in San Diego. ILPS organized its own planning meeting on March 9, which was coined “Solidarity School.” The Solidarity School was a way to educate and agitate people around the impact of RIMPAC war games on people in the Indo-Pacific region, especially in the Philippines, as well as to strategize against RIMPAC 2024.
In addition to ILPS, another organization actively organizing against RIMPAC 2024 is the Hawaiʻi Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (HICHRP). Organizers with HICHRP have for years tried to pressure the U.S. Congress to pass the Philippines Human Rights Act (PHRA), which would cut off military funding to the Philippines.
Like Israel and Ukraine, the government of the Philippines is a large recipient of U.S. “military funding.” According to figures reported by HICHRP in a Feb. 8 Counterpunch article, the U.S. government has sent more than $550 million of aid to the Philippine military and police since 2016.
Much of the money given the Philippine government has contributed toward the kidnappings, tortures and murders of trade unionists, environmentalists, leftists, progressive faith leaders and Indigenous peoples of the Philippines who are viewed as a threat to the U.S.-backed government.
The various organizers against the upcoming RIMPAC exercise find common ground in recognizing that U.S. imperialism poses the biggest threat to the global proletariat. As the U.S. Navy dominates the RIMPAC exercises, U.S. military leaders ultimately control who can attend the drills.
As people residing in the U.S. continue to face growing poverty, layoffs and life without a house — while being subjected to rising inflation and unaffordable medical costs — U.S. military political leaders are focused on showing off their newest naval weapons at RIMPAC maneuvers. Military weapons are U.S. capitalism’s most competitive manufactured goods on a global scale — and even that dominance is decaying.
Anti-imperialist activists should confront U.S. militarism wherever it rears its ugly head and call out imperialist representatives for their war provocations against the world’s working class and oppressed peoples, including in the Indo-Pacific region and join those who say, “Shut down RIMPAC 2024!”
Filipinos Denounce U.S.-Philippines Balikatan Joint Military Exercises 2024
Progressive organizations in the Philippines organized actions to oppose the start of the 39th version of the U.S.-Philippines Balikatan Joint Military Exercise which began on April 22 and will end on May 18. These are the largest war games to date, involving more than 17,000 U.S. and Philippines soldiers, almost twice as many as last year. According to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Balikatan (which means “shoulder-to-shoulder” in Tagalog) 2024 is undertaken under the terms of the U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defence Treaty of 1951. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command notes, “Exercise Balikatan directly supports the U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty by ensuring our forces are tactically proficient, that capabilities and modernization efforts are mutually compatible, and by strengthening military-to-military coordination.” They are live war drills implementing planned invasion scenarios directed mainly at China and designed to consolidate the command structure headed by the U.S.
This year, the Australian Defence Force and French navy are also joining the war games. Eighteen other countries, including Canada, are participating as “observers.”
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) a broad alliance of progressive and patriotic Filipino organizations, called the military war games, “a shameful proof of the subservient foreign policy of the administration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. by allowing the increased presence and intervention of genocide-enabling and imperialist foreign military forces.” Bayan and other organizations held a protest at Camp Aguinaldo on April 22 where the commencement of the war games was announced. Bayan pointed out that the military drill under the U.S. “is not designed to promote our national interest. Its real aim is to allow the U.S. to project and preserve its hegemony in this part of the world.”
The Philippine human rights organization Karapatan also condemned Balikatan 2024, pointing out that the heavy presence of U.S. troops on the Philippines islands is a violation of the sovereignty of the Filipino people and a provocation against China which could lead to a military conflict between the two countries with people of the Philippines in the middle. Karapatan pointedly denounced the recent first-time deployment of the U.S. mid-range Typhon missile system which is capable of reaching the Chinese mainland. The missiles were introduced in the context of the Balikatan war games, Karapatan noted, further signaling the U.S. intention “to use Philippine territory as a launching pad for hostile acts against China.”
Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas or Peasant Movement of the Philippines (KMP) also denounced the Balikatan war games. Danilo Ramos, chairperson of KMP, said that in locations where the Balikatan exercises will take place, farmers and fishers are restricted from carrying out their daily activity without compensation.
Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment denounced the Balikatan war games, emphasizing the severe detrimental impacts of the military drills on the natural environment. “Troop movements, vehicle manoeuvres, construction activities, and the sinking of naval ships — all lead to habitat loss and fragmentation, endangering local wildlife. The use of heavy machinery, explosives, ammunition, and other military equipment contributes to soil and water pollution by chemical contamination,” the organization stated. It added that “Massive amounts of waste are generated — much of this toxic waste. The health of local communities is threatened during the exercises, as well as by the long-term impacts of the exercises on the environment. Noise pollution disrupts ecosystems and disturbs wildlife.”
Kalikasan also underscored that the U.S. plans to use the Philippines as cannon fodder in confronting China. “History has also shown that U.S. intervention has always led to war and tragedy — and widespread, long-term environmental destruction, as well. These have been seen in the U.S.-led wars in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Ukraine, and Palestine,” the organization said.
Bayan called on the Filipino people to resist the Balikatan war drills, oppose the U.S. provocations in the region and expel U.S. military facilities and other foreign troops in the country. For its part Karapatan called on the freedom-loving people of the Philippines and the world to “forge the broadest solidarity front against U.S. imperialist intervention and war-mongering in the South China Sea and in other areas of the world.”
Thank you FOSC, for this excellent report. China is a truly sovereign state; as distinct from NATO+ states, all of which have sacrificed their sovereignty on the alter of the US administration’s objective of global economic and military hegemony. America profits from a continuous provocation of geopolitical tension around the globe and the subsequent sale of it’s military production, neither the US administration nor it’s allies can therefor be expected to seek peace anywhere, anytime.