Study On The Marine Strategy During The Duterte Government Of The Philippines

Security perception and national interests are two key words of the Philippines’ geopolitical doctrine and maritime strategies.The country’s maritime strategy is based on its unique geostrategic environment,and security and development issues are factors that have a constant influence on the strategic choices of Philippine government leaders.In a short term,there wouldn’t be disruptive transformations on the main external threats or the core national interests of the Philippines,but the different strategic choices made by the government leaders will have different impacts on the development of the Philippines.The underlying logic of Duterte’s maritime strategy fails to break away from the nature of small states seeking balance in complex asymmetric structures.Although many people do not regard his strategic posture favorably and criticize his strategic turns,Duterte’s strategic approach has been proven to be shrewder than his predecessors.This paper argues taht Duterte’s maritime strategy shows both a cautious strategic approach and an ambitious strategic intent.Duterte’s abandonment of the "arbitration result" as a lever is due to his accurate judgment of the regional security situation,shifting his security focus to domestic security and redirecting the Armed Forces of the Philippines to domestic security maintenance.The development-oriented approach forms a network of economic-security cooperation among various stakeholders in the region and the Philippines gain security and win more development space through skillfully balancing power,interests,and animosity within the network.At the same time,Duterte has not abandoned the Philippine military modernization and development program.Compared with the Aquino III administration,he has found a wiser approach,namely to ensure open strategic communication channels in the process of improving the country’s ability to maintain national security,in order to escape the security dilemma that constantly provokes panic and mistrust from the other side and to establish a favorable political attitude to the development of friendly relations with other countries through an exaggerated style of speech.The Philippine maritime strategy of the Duterte administration is based on national interests.The Philippines form security cooperation networks with stakeholders and seeks its development by cooperating with and balancing the U.S.Indo-Pacific Strategy,China’s Belt and Road Initiative,and Japan’s Pacific-Indian Ocean Strategy.At the same time,the Philippines still makes efforts in regional and international organizations such as ASEAN,developing its economy according to local conditions,and developing various sectors in a green and sustainable way.Specific implementation includes multiple aspects such as defining national territorial boundaries,protecting marine ecology,developing marine economy and technology,and maintaining maritime security.