This is a series of CBSI on the world. I'm John Bachelor with my friend and colleague

Gordon Chang at Gordon G Chang. The Philippines and an ally, a mutual defense-packed ally of the United States of America,

headquartered the capital in Manila, long and stored relationship over more than a century with the United States and over these last

weeks the Philippines under direct threat from the People's Liberation Army Navy

Air Force.

Over these last months, the Philippines identified

as where China will probe and probe and probe.

And Gordon and I welcome James Finel,

co-author of the Embracing Communist China book, New Book,

Embracing Communist China, America's Greatest Strategic Failure.

He's also a government fellow at the Geneva Center for Security Policy and, importantly, a retired

U.S. Navy Captain Intelligence working with the Pacific Fleet.

Jem, a very good day to you.

Why the Philippines? why is China identifying the Philippines given their

ambition to take over Taiwan how does this help them good day to you good day John and Gordon.

Well, obviously right now the Philippines is the only country in the South China Sea that's

openly defined Beijing in a provocative, if they would say a provocative manner,

which is they're not taking the Chinese usurpation of their sovereignty in their exclusive economic zone quietly.

So they're publicizing the bullying and the ramming and the threats that China is

making to them on the ocean there in places like Second Thomas

Scholl and Sabina Scholl. And so China is not happy about that. They're not happy that the

Marcus administration has resumed what we would be called a closer

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