China Counters India’s BrahMos Missile Deal With The Philippines; Donates Military Equipment To ‘Balance Ties’

By
EurAsian Times Desk
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Despite its territorial disputes with the Philippines, China continues to maintain military ties with the Southeast Asian nation, probably to counter-balance the American as well as Indian influence in the region.

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In the latest development, China has contributed non-combatant military equipment valued at one billion Philippine pesos to the country’s armed forces.

The equipment, meant for disaster relief operations, arrived in Manila on January 16, just two days after the country revealed plans to purchase three supersonic BrahMos missile batteries from India, according to Asianet Newsable.

The first shipment of non-combat equipment arrived on January 16, which includes water purification vehicles, ambulances, fire trucks, bomb disposal suits, drone systems, among others, the Department of National Defense said.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said his Chinese counterpart Gen. Wei Fenghe, had promised these items during his visit to Manila in 2020.

“That’s a big help. It’s an addition to our equipment which still has a large shortfall” he told Inquirer.

Beijing’s generosity to Manila is in sharp contrast to PLA maneuvers in the South China Sea. On multiple occasions last year, China had intimidated and bullied the Philippines in the disputed territory of Whitsun reef. In early 2021, the Philippines had alleged that about 200 Chinese vessels manned by Chinese maritime militia were stationed at the reef.

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A few months ago, two Chinese Coast Guard vessels launched water cannons at two Filipino boats during a resupply mission, a move that prompted the Philippine government to file a diplomatic protest against China.

BrahMos To Act As Deterrent?

There seems to be a perceptible shift in Chinese policy towards the Philippines. After the BrahMos deal which was India’s first-ever export of its missile, China promised to work with the Southeast Asian nation to address issues pertaining to the South China Sea dispute, but said it would not push smaller countries into doing so.

BrahMos
File Image: BrahMos Missile Systems

On Monday, State Councilor and Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi spoke at the 5th Manila Forum, saying that while each side has its own rights and viewpoints, it is critical to avoid them “taking hostage the wider bilateral relationship,” reported CNN Philippines.

Interestingly, all these years, Beijing has been defying a 2016 verdict by the international tribunal in The Hague, which primarily decided in favor of the Philippines in a landmark case over the South China Sea issue.

The latest move could be interpreted as a wider effort by China to balance out India’s outreach to the ASEAN countries as part of New Delhi’s ‘Act East’ policy.

Last month, Myanmar’s Navy has commissioned a diesel-electric submarine that previously served with China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy. Over the past year, a secret agreement was reached with Beijing to purchase the Ming-class submarine UMS Minye Kyaw Htin, as previously reported by the EurAsian Times.

The Myanmar Navy’s new submarine, Min Ye Kyaw Htin – (Via Twitter)

On December 24, 2020, India presented a Russian-built Kilo Class submarine to the Myanmar navy, to counter Chinese influence in the region.

Hindustan Shipyard, a state-run defense shipbuilder, had renovated the INS Sindhuvir, a diesel-electric submarine to be given to Myanmar. With a displacement of 3,000 tons, a maximum operating depth of 300 meters, and a top speed of 18 knots, the vessel was Myanmar’s first submarine.

Despite India’s delivery of the vessel, China was able to convince Myanmar for the purchase. Interestingly, Myanmar has been under junta rule since February 1, 2021, when the military ousted the elected government in a coup.

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Since then, China has been consistently backing the junta regime although the US and European countries have sanctioned the military generals.

China is expected to make further moves in the Southeast Asian region that remains central to America’s Indo-Pacific strategy. It remains to be seen how India and its Quad allies respond to Chinese maneuvers.

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