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The Philippines
OpinionComment
Richard Heydarian
Richard Heydarian

Opinion | Why Biden needs to pursue ‘strategic empathy’ with the Philippines

  • As part of a multilateral approach to constrain rivals such as China, Russia and Iran, Biden will solicit support from its treaty allies
  • While the Philippines has been a pivotal part of American projection of power in the Indo-Pacific, the future of the alliance is in doubt

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Protesters rally against US-Philippines anti-terrorism military exercises in Manila in 2018. In February this year, Philippe President Rodrigo Duterte announced an end to the Visiting Forces Agreement, which has facilitated the entry and exit of tens of thousands of American troops. He has since suspended the move, at least temporarily. Photo:
Richard Heydarian

“I remain convinced that a successful China can make our country more prosperous, not less,” wrote Joe Biden, then US vice-president, in an op-ed almost a decade ago. “As trade and investment bind us together, we have a stake in each other’s success.”

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In recent years, however, both Biden and his top advisers have taken an increasingly hawkish stance on China, abandoning the whole rhetoric of “strategic empathy” and constructive engagement. In a more recent column, Biden warned of “swift economic sanctions” against China and argued, “The United States does need to get tough on China.”

In fact, the Democratic Party as a whole has embraced a more aggressive China strategy, underscoring a growing bipartisan consensus in Washington. Thus, Biden’s victory has presented profound dilemmas for Asian leaders, especially Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who has opted for warmer ties with Beijing.
If anything, the Philippine strongman would also be concerned about a more aggressive democracy-promotion policy by the incoming Democrat in the White House. No wonder, then, that earlier this year Duterte endorsed his populist counterpart, US President Donald Trump, who has studiously shunned human rights and democracy issues with key allies such as the Philippines.

By instinct and political calculus, however, the Biden administration is likely to pursue functional and civil relations with the Philippines as part of a broader multilateral strategy against China.

03:09

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Contrary to the polls, the Democratic presidential candidate failed to secure a decisive victory. Hopes for a “blue wave” down the ballot were also quashed by Republican resilience in battleground states.
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