Sa pagpadala nito ng surface-to-air missiles sa isang isla sa Paracel chain ng West Philippine Sea, ipinaabot ng China ang malinaw na mensaheng hindi nito hahayaan ang presensiya ng American military sa kanilang bakuran, sinabi ng isang kilalang foreign affairs analyst sa bansa.
“It is a very alarming situation, because it could very well be a prelude to a similar maneuver in the Spratly chain of islands, with the Chinese airstrips in the area either completed or soon to be,” pahayag ni Prof. Richard Heydarian, ng De La Salle University (DLSU) Manila-Political Science department.
“I’m afraid U.S. and the Philippines are running out of time, and there should be a concerted effort to at least convince China not to fully militarize its installations in the Spratlys where we and other ASEAN countries could face the threat of expulsion if not skirmishes,” dagdag niya. (Roy Mabasa)
