(helicopter rotors rumbling)
- [Shelby] After striking
a new military base deal in the Philippines,
the US is making moves
to counter China's growing militarization of the Pacific.
- China's military buildup is astonishing.
To some, it's impressive.
- And it's not showing any signs of slowing down.
- It's not showing any signs of slowing down.
- [Shelby] These troops trained for a potential conflict
on islands just a hundred miles from Taiwan,
the self-ruled island that China
has threatened to take by force if necessary.
(munitions whooshing)
And powerful American weapons
were tested over the South China Sea,
where China's militarized islands
are threatening its neighbors.
- What the US is doing now, we wish it did decades back.
- [Shelby] But after more than 20 years
of Chinese expansion, can the US and its allies
successfully change the balance of power in the Pacific?
(artillery firing)
The Philippines, a US treaty ally,
lies southeast of mainland China.
To its west is the South China Sea,
a global shipping route full of natural resources.
And to the north is Taiwan, a key US trading partner.
Beijing says both Taiwan and much of the sea
are part of China, and has ramped up its military presence
to bolster those claims.
- [Reporter] How concerned are you
with the continued provocation from China?
- As concerned as you could possibly be.
It is one of the major issues that we have to face.
- [Shelby] The Philippines' new president,
Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr., has leaned into the US
after years of a more pro-China policy
under his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte.
This year, Washington and Manila struck a major base deal
that increased the number of sites
the US can use in the Philippines from five to nine
under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.
The new sites bring the US military closer
to both Taiwan and the South China Sea.
And the deal allows the US to build facilities,
position equipment, and rotate troops through the bases.
(Tan speaking in foreign language)
- The new sites have angered China,
which has accused the US
of intentionally stoking regional tensions.
One of the phrases that I've heard
is the US could use these bases
as staging grounds against China.
Is that what they are?
- I think you could feasibly see that they are,
but we wouldn't do any of that
without the consent of the Philippine Government.
China is a free and sovereign nation.
And as long as they act
within the international-based,
rules-based order here in the region,
they have plenty of room to operate.
- [Shelby] Major General Joseph Ryan commands
the Army's 25th Infantry Division.
We met him on the USS Miguel Keith in the Luzon Strait.
The Luzon Strait is a strategic waterway
that's a major commercial shipping lane
and a key transit point
for both the Chinese and US militaries.
In the event of a conflict over Taiwan,
control of the strait would be critical.
(soldier speaking in foreign language)
- [Shelby] Chinese exercises in and around the strait
have heightened concerns about a war in the region.
And because the US and the Philippines
have a mutual defense treaty, the US would be obligated
to defend the country if it's attacked.
- Geography matters.
There's certainly a sense that should a conflict occur
in Taiwan, that the Philippines would be affected.
- Is the US prepared to fight?
- Absolutely.
And that's what we're doing here.
(upbeat music)
- We followed Major General Ryan and his joint unit
onto Marine Ospreys and traveled
to some of the northernmost islands in the Philippines.
(helicopter rotors whirring)
The objective of the drill,
to secure the area and then expand it,
making room for even bigger firepower like this HIMARS,
an offensive weapon system that's capable
of reaching the southern part of Taiwan from this island.
- A HIMARS rocket system on the island here
could certainly influence not only the land space
but the maritime space
beyond just where it sits here on Basco Island.
- [Shelby] Along the coast of the South China Sea,
the US and Philippine militaries conducted live fires
of the HIMARS and other advanced American weapons,
like Stingers and Patriots,
marking a major escalation of the exercises from years past.
(soldiers cheering)
For years, Beijing has used this so-called nine-dash line
to roughly outline what it says belongs to China.
The dashes are believed to be based on maps
used by the Republic of China in 1947.
Within those lines, these satellite images
show how China has turned reefs into artificial islands
and added airstrips, missile silos,
and communication towers.
- That offends Filipinos.
It's like you always have a dagger pointed towards you.
- [Shelby] General Emmanuel Bautista
became the chief of staff of the Philippine Armed Forces
in 2013, the year the Philippines took China to court
over its contested claims.
The Philippines won the landmark case,
but China has refused to recognize the ruling.
To maintain control, its ships have repeatedly harassed
its neighbors' coast guard vessels
and civilian fishing boats,
blocking their passage with larger ships,
military grade lasers, and even water cannons.
- China is violating our sovereignty and sovereign rights.
And regardless if there is a competition,
we have an issue with China in that respect.
- [Shelby] Polls show most Filipinos
support stronger ties with the US
to help the country defend its sovereignty.
And despite China's warnings
not to interfere in the South China Sea,
the country is in talks with the US
and other Pacific allies like Japan
to launch joint patrols later this year.
- Our goal is peace,
security, stability, and creating opportunity.
It's not to engage in a new Cold War,
it's not to contain China.
- [Shelby] Some experts say it might be too late
to change the balance of power in the region.
China now has more naval ships, more ICBM launchers,
more active service members,
and potentially more sophisticated missile capabilities
than the US.
But the US is counting on its alliances in the Pacific
to push back.
And in recent months, Washington has increased security ties
with Japan, Australia, and South Korea.
And it has pledged to expedite weapon sales to Taiwan.
- The asymmetric advantage of our alliances
and partnerships in the region
is part of what separates us from the PRC,
because they don't have that.
- The relationships.
- They don't have the relationships.
Combat-credible forces, allied and together,
win wars.
So if conflict happens,
I'm confident we're prepared to fight it.
(helicopter rotors whirring) (lighthearted music)