Over time, they cultivate the mindset of a recluse. That is a counterproductive mindset – especially in this part of the world destined to be the center of gravity of the global economy. Because of competing claims over the South China Sea, we are drawn into the superpower maneuvers of both the US and China. China will soon match (if it has not yet) US economic and military power. It is the emerging power contesting the hegemony of the older superpower. The US is pursuing a policy of containment against China. Its “pivot to Asia” is governed by this overarching strategy. The older superpower refuses to think in terms of parity and cooperation. It cannot bring itself to imagine a planet with two amicable superpowers.

Magno, A. (2021, May 20). Realpolitik. The Philippine Star, p. 4.