Recently, Philippine President Marcos has been actively seeking support within ASEAN, attempting to confront China through the "strength in numbers" approach, especially since the frequent maritime frictions between China and the Philippines.
However, most ASEAN countries were unwilling to cooperate with Marcos's plans until recently when one country stepped forward to support him.
Marcos visited Brunei in the past two days and achieved a series of cooperative outcomes.
According to Philippine media reports, he reached agreements with Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah in areas such as tourism, agriculture, and signed agreements to strengthen maritime cooperation.
The Philippine President's office stated that both sides agreed to further cooperation in pollution control, skills training, research, and information sharing to enhance their maritime capabilities.
Marcos emphasized that faced with numerous global challenges, the Philippines and Brunei need to work together, and bilateral cooperation is crucial for maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Although Marcos did not specify these challenges, considering the maritime frictions between China and the Philippines, Marcos's intent can be understood.
Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah responded, expressing the intention to further strengthen relations with the Philippines to uphold their "common aspirations."
Since the frequent maritime frictions between China and the Philippines, Marcos has been seeking "friends" within ASEAN.
He has been trying to bring ASEAN countries into his camp to confront China and disrupt the efforts of China and ASEAN countries to maintain peace in the South China Sea, paving the way for the introduction of American influence.
Marcos has tried to court countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia but without success.
Although these three countries have some maritime disputes with China, they are unwilling to be drawn into the South China Sea disputes between China and the Philippines.
Instead, they emphasize avoiding interference from external forces in regional affairs, clearly warning the Philippines.
With unfavorable responses from other countries, Marcos has turned his attention to Brunei.
Although Brunei is small in size, it also has disputes with China over reefs in the South China Sea.
However, due to its small size and weak maritime power, Brunei has been cautious in dealing with disputes with China and has cooperated more with Malaysia, Western countries, and China.
Brunei's sudden move to strengthen maritime cooperation with the Philippines gives a sense of unease.
It can be speculated that Brunei may be concerned that after China resolves issues with the Philippines, it will continue to reclaim maritime interests illegally occupied by other South China Sea neighboring countries, thus affecting its own interests.
Therefore, Brunei seeks to encourage the Philippines to continue voicing its concerns on the South China Sea issue to safeguard its interests in the region.
For the Philippines, they urgently need supporters within ASEAN.
Considering that other South China Sea neighboring countries have indicated they will not stand with the Philippines, Marcos urgently needs to seek support within ASEAN.
Thus, Marcos actively cooperates with Brunei and seeks to garner support for his voice within ASEAN.
For China, it has been committed to resolving South China Sea issues within the framework of the "Code of Conduct in the South China Sea" and expressed willingness to resolve disputes through peaceful negotiations rather than resorting to force.
Despite the Philippines frequently dispatching ships to stir up trouble in the South China Sea, China still seeks to reach an agreement with the Philippines to properly resolve disputes in the South China Sea, demonstrating its utmost sincerity.
Therefore, China believes Brunei's concerns are unnecessary.
As long as Brunei does not provoke like the Philippines, China will not take a tough stance against Brunei over the South China Sea issue.
On the South China Sea issue, China is willing to set aside disputes and jointly develop resources with South China Sea neighboring countries.
However, Brunei's actions remind China that while it has mainly focused on larger countries like Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia in the past on South China Sea issues, smaller countries like Brunei also have disputes.
China realizes the need to maintain good relations with these small countries to avoid potential trouble they may cause in the future.
Overall, China hopes Brunei will realize that cooperation with China is more conducive to safeguarding its own interests rather than blindly following the footsteps of the Philippines.
At the same time, China will continue to strive to maintain friendly relations with ASEAN countries and promote regional peace and stability.
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