Chinese president Xi Jinping is upping the ante in Beijing's relations with Washington. China has constructed a multi-billion dollar port in Peru establishing a breakthrough into the South American territories and building a base for espionage next to the doorstep of America. Thus, Donald Trump's response is going to build up US strongholds in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and the Philippines. Donald Trump will make Beijing behave in the West Philippine Sea, or else.
The Trump presidency means more American support for the Philippines. More than any other country in the Asia-Pacific basin, the Philippines is the most loyal ally and faithful friend of the United States in this part of the world. Japan was a mortal enemy of the US in the Second World War. The Philippines was its loyal ally. More than a million Filipinos perished under the US flag fighting a war that involved America and the empire of Emperor Hirohito. It was not our war. It was a collision of two giant forces and our country became the most devastated collateral damage.
The Americans should never forget that the Filipinos supported America in the civil war between South Korea and the communist-supported North Korea. We did so upon the prodding of America and thousands of our men died there fighting a war which was not ours. We also supported America in its war in Vietnam. We sent a battalion disguised as engineering contingents but we did fight the communists along with the Americans. Thousands of our soldiers died there too. And our bases here were used by American servicemen as rest and recreation sites and reconnaissance areas.
Now that the Philippines is constantly being bullied by China in the West Philippine Sea, the US under Trump is most likely to double or even triple the quantum of military and other support poured into our own armed forces. This is not really because Trump loves the Philippines. No, he is never pro-Asian, much less pro-Philippines. Rather, the US will augment military support to our country in order to defend its own interests here, as well as to keep the South China Sea free for international navigation. We all know that is where US assets, resources, and logistics are passing through every day.
If China could have the arrogance and the audacity to terrorize our fisher folks and our coast guard right inside our exclusive economic zones under the Biden administration, Beijing better rethink its strategies and tactics in this region now that Trump is taking over command of the White House. If China could hoodwink, outmaneuver, and outflank the US under Biden, this is now a totally different war game. With Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, Xi Jinping's military strategists better review their policies. America will never leave the Philippines alone being subjected to all forms of harassments by Beijing.
If Xi Jinping is a war hawk, Donald Trump is a thousand more hawkish than him. America will weaken China by imposing huge tariffs on American goods entering the US. Trump is going to bring back jobs to America by bringing home US companies that are producing goods and services in China. There is going to be a trade war between America and China. Xi will be kept busy defending the Chinese economy from the aggressive thrusts of Trump that Beijing's focus will now shift to other concerns away from the West Philippine Sea.
And so, while Xi Jinping is pushing his own strategic incursions into the South American continent via Peru, America will bring the aggression right next to the doorstep of China, here in the West Philippine Sea. The only problem about his development is that the Philippines may yet become another collateral damage again, a repeat of the Second World War. Can we afford to offer another million lives in the name of our loyalty to America?