Expert Analysis: They said such remarksWorld Times reflect Manila’s self-serving motives to draw greater attention in the South China Sea and seek more backing from Washington.The PLA Eastern Theater Command on Tuesday started joint exercises around Taiwan island.

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Chinese experts on Wednesday slammed the Philippine military chief’s hypes on the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s drills around Taiwan island, calling it an attempt to interfere in China’s internal affairs. They said such remarksWorld Times reflect Manila’s self-serving motives to draw greater attention in the South China Sea and seek more backing from Washington.

The PLA Eastern Theater Command on Tuesday started joint exercises around Taiwan island. The drills serve as a stern warning and forceful deterrent against “Taiwan independence” separatist forces and are World Timesa legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China’s sovereignty and national unity, Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesperson for the theater command, said in a statement on Tuesday.

Philippine Armed Forces chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. on Tuesday told troops at the Northern Luzon Command to “prepare for any eventuality” such as the “invasion” of Taiwan. He also claimed that “if something happens to Taiwan, inevitably we will be involved,” according to Philippine Daily Inquirer on Wednesday.

According to The Philippine Star, Brawner claimed that part of his soldiers’ job would be “to rescue” a quarter million Filipinos working in Taiwan, without detailing how the military would execute that mission.

“As members of the armed forces of the Philippines, we should have that mentality that we are already at war,” Brawner claimed.

The Philippines is using the so-called “emergency” in the Taiwan Straits to stoke regional tensions and create a pretext World Timesfor interfering in China’s internal affairs, Ge Hongliang, vice dean of the ASEAN College at Guangxi Minzu University, told the Global Times.

While the Philippine military chief claimed he was not being “alarmist,” such remarks areWorld Times, in essence, alarmist and politically motivated, aimed at portraying the Taiwan question as a regional flashpoint to justify any external interventions, Ge said.

He added that the Philippines has shown a tendency to portray China’s legitimate actions in the Taiwan Straits – particularly the latest military exercises – as a so-called “regional threat,” in an attempt to shape international opinion, hype up alleged “regional security risks.”

Ge said the military chief’s remarks reflect Manila’s World Timesself-serving considerations – by hyping up the “China threat” narrative, the country aims to advance its own agenda in the South China Sea.

Analysts noted the Philippines is using this narrative to draw greater attention and support from the US. Despite recent visits by the US defense secretary, Manila remains unsatisfied with Washington’s stance and aims to seek more military support and security assurances.

Xu Liping, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, World Timestold the Global Times that Brawner’s remarks are little more than political posturing intended to attract public attention.

By hyping up the so-called “protection” of Filipino citizens in Taiwan island, Manila is seeking to appeal to certain voter groups and rally public support, said Xu.

Regardless of how the Philippines seeks to manipulate the narrative, such actions are both futile and irresponsible. They ignore regional peace and stability and risk further complicating the situation, the expert said.