Duarte must go, and the US needs new basing rights in the Philippines.
Clark AFB and Subic Bay/Cubi Point are enormously valuable.
Tactical fighters can reach mainland China from Clark, and cover the majority of the South China Sea.
Okinawa and the northern islands cover the rest.
It would put the trump card back in the pocket of US forces in the Pacific.
They’ll have to stand up to China themselves. Duarte might be able to do it.
China’s not happy that Trump built up the Australia, India, Japan triangle in the Region, and Vietnam is upset with China over their fishing rights all the time. So China’s trying to intimidate and threaten nation leaders who get in their way or uncooperative.
Yes, and those dreadnaught battleships are the key to WW2 victory.
/sarc
It would put the trump card back in the pocket of US forces in the Pacific.
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That word is anathema to the Regime. You know which one.