That Manila is under the thumb of Washington was made clear on Tuesday when the government of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr released its national security policy document.

In identifying cross-Strait relations as a potential regional flashpoint and a major concern, Manila has simply parroted Washington's distorted narrative on the Taiwan question. Showing the extent to which Manila is in Washington's clutches, the 48-page document states that "sharpening strategic competition between the United States and China" and "heightened rivalries among the major powers" are creating a "more tense geopolitical landscape" and fueling concerns for the island.

Given that the Philippines recognizes Beijing as the only legitimate government of China, of which Taiwan is an integral part, the wording of the Marcos government's security policy document bears all the hallmarks of collusion with the Joe Biden administration and a Faustian bargain to help the US advance its strategy in the region in return for US support for Manila's territorial claims in the South China Sea. In effect, it is sacrificing the country's cooperative relations with China for illegal gains.

The Marcos government knows that the so-called tense situation in the Taiwan Strait is solely of the US' making. To exert strategic pressure on Beijing, the Joe Biden administration has tried every means to play up the Taiwan question through such tactics as constantly selling arms to the Chinese island and sending warships to frequently sail through the Taiwan Strait on disingenuously labeled "freedom of navigation" transits. Washington has also not put its foot down to stop high-profile visits to Taipei that create the impression of official contacts, something that it promised not to conduct as part of the historical commitments it made for the establishment of diplomatic ties with Beijing.

In response to these blatant provocations, Beijing has made it clear to the separatist authorities on the island that they should not allow themselves to be emboldened or misled by their Washington backers into going too far. If Manila is really concerned about the tensions in the Taiwan Strait and the dire consequences that might befall if they are not reined in, it should seek to persuade the Biden administration and the China hawks in the US Congress to stop their provocations and cease stoking confrontation over the Taiwan question.

Unfortunately, judging by the policy document and other recent moves Manila has taken, it has chosen to be a willing participant in the US' strategy to suppress China. Under Marcos, Manila has not only changed the policy of his predecessor, who sought to improve ties with Beijing, it is also working hand in glove with Washington by strengthening military ties between the two countries and stirring up trouble in the South China Sea. Manila should realize that Washington will sell it down the river for its own narrow end. It should focus on the larger picture of China-Philippines ties and change course so that it becomes part of the solution for regional peace and stability rather than part of the problem.