Manila: While nationalist groups oppose Chinese intrusions into sea areas claimed by the Philippines as part of its territory, they said the government should similarly take a strong stand against US intervention.
In a statement, the left-wing Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (New Nationalist Alliance of Bayan) said the Philippines should stand up to China without any form of US help. "We must fully assert our sovereignty but we cannot rely on one bully in fending off another.
The problem here is that the US is a bigger bully than China and has greater interests not just in the Philippines but in the entire East Asia. The US is using the dispute between China and the Philippines so it can position itself and advance its hegemonic interests in the region," said Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr.
Washington talks
According to reports reaching Manila, top officials from the Philippines and the US are expected to meet in Washington on April 30 to discuss the matter of the Freedom of Navigation in Philippines' sea border with China and other countries.
Philippine Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario are due to meet in Washington with their US counterparts Defence Secretary Leon Panetta and Secretary of the State Hilary Clinton.
