Philippine President Benigno Aquino III likened present-day China to Nazi Germany yesterday during a speech in Japan, hinting the world cannot continue to appease Beijing as it claims ever-more territory in the South China Sea.
The comments come as disquiet grows over the quickening pace of China’s land reclamation program in international waters, including its construction of a runway long enough for large military planes.
“If there was a vacuum, if the United States, which is the superpower, says: ‘We are not interested,’ perhaps there is no brake to ambitions of other countries,” Aquino told an audience of business leaders in Tokyo.
Photo: AFP
“I’m an amateur student of history and I’m reminded of ... how Germany was testing the waters and what the response was by various other European powers,” he said, referring to the Nazis’ territorial conquests in the months before the outbreak of World War II.
“They tested the waters and they were ready to back down if, for instance, in that aspect, France said [to back down], but unfortunately, up to the annexation of the Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia, the annexation of the entire country of Czechoslovakia, nobody said stop,” he said. “If somebody said stop to [Adolf] Hitler at that point in time, or to Germany at that time, would we have avoided World War II?”
The comments sparked anger in Beijing, where Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying (華春瑩) said she was “deeply shocked and dissatisfied with the groundless remarks.”
Hua reiterated the Chinese position that the Philippines has “illegally” occupied Chinese islands, adding that “the Philippines keeps colluding with countries outside the region to stir up trouble and sling mud at China.”
Aquino, who is in Japan on a four-day visit, has previously made similar comments comparing China’s actions to those of the Third Reich.
“At what point do you say: ‘Enough is enough?’ Well, the world has to say it — remember that the Sudetenland was given in an attempt to appease Hitler to prevent World War II,” Aquino told the New York Times last year, provoking fury in Beijing.
Aquino’s comments yesterday come after US President Barack Obama this week weighed in on the growing tensions in the South China Sea, urging regional powers — particularly China — to respect the law and stop “throwing elbows.”
China has rejected US demands to stop all reclamation works in the South China Sea, saying it is exercising its sovereignty and using the outposts to fulfill international responsibilities.
Beijing insists it has sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea, a major global shipping route believed to be home to oil and gas reserves, but rival claimants accuse it of expansionism.
Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei also have various claims over islets and reefs in the area.
Despite its relatively weak economy and the parlous state of its military, the Philippines has been the most vocal country in the region in its criticism of China.
ASEAN has struggled to come to a consensus, with China exploiting divisions and exercising its economic might.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft