The Communist Party of the Philippines strongly denounces imperialist superpowers for staging war exercises around the Philippines which are raising military tensions in both the western and eastern parts of the country.

Over the past week, the Chinese government staged a series of war exercises in the South China Sea. It flaunted its imperialist might in contested waters nearby areas within the Philippine territory. It is provoking military counteractions by countries whose territories and claims in the area are being impinged upon, as well as by the US whose military forces are deployed in the area. China bragged about conducting live-fire exercises and staging multiple target scenarios including the mock targeting of disputed islands and reefs within the area.

During the same time, personnel from two US aircraft carrier strike groups, the USS Nimitz and the USS Ronald Reagan, both floating military bases, conducted drills in the Philippine Sea to demonstrate its capability to mobilize “overwhelming force” against China. These war drills are being conducted on the pretext of defending “freedom of navigation” and aim to win over countries opposing China’s military aggression.

War exercises being conducted by the imperialist superpowers are part of their military positioning in the Asia-Pacific region to pursue their strategic geopolitical interests and power projection in the area.

The CPP urges the Filipino people to protest China and US military build-up and power projection in the surrounding seas of the Philippines and stand firm to defend Philippine sovereignty against military intervention by imperialist superpowers. They must demand the dismantling of China’s seven military facilities within the country’s territories, as well as the dismantling of US military facilities around Philippine military camps.