A Russian submarine was spotted in Philippine territorial waters recently. The country’s navy sent a missile ship to track down the submarine and the president Bongbong Marcosin according to the presence of the submarine was very worrying.
According to Russia, the ship had lost its way due to bad weather on a different route.
The strict measures taken by the Philippines were a surprise, as many Southeast Asian countries have recently warmed to Russia.
There are several reasons.
The biggest of them is probably the desire to avoid choosing a side in the intensifying trade war between the United States and China. Many of Asia’s smaller economies are directly dependent on China, and on the other hand, angering the world power, the United States, would not make sense.
Another is the region’s growing anti-Westernism. The war in Ukraine is far from Asia and it does not appear in the media, let alone in people’s everyday life.
Western countries are even seen as hypocritical with their sanctions on Russia, as the United States has increased military interest in Asia, especially in Taiwan and the Philippines.
There is companionship
The countries also perceive Russia as friendly in terms of political ideology.
Russia’s doctrine of sovereign democracy, in which a state led by a charismatic strongman presents a united national front against the West, is particularly attractive to many governments in Southeast Asia, where strong leaders and political dynasties are common and where the concept of democracy is highly fluid.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin has gladly shown itself as a pillar of anti-Western resistance, a victim of NATO’s expansion efforts and a true friend of the global south.
Putin even reportedly has a reputation as a cult leader and macho hero in Vietnam, which has an authoritarian regime.
Five of sanctions
Southeast Asia’s positive attitude towards Russia, however, has a more practical reason than ideological thinking.
“Putin has liked to show himself as a pillar of anti-Western resistance, a victim of NATO’s expansion efforts and a true friend of the global south.”
Many countries in the region such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Taiwan want to increase their energy resources with the help of Russia in order to reduce their dependence on China.
The Russian defense industry has a significant foothold in the Southeast Asian market, and many countries even look favorably on direct military cooperation. Last month’s joint naval exercises between Indonesia and Russia in the Java Sea spoke of this.
Vietnam is dependent on Russian military equipment and is reportedly currently negotiating a multi-billion dollar defense deal with Russia despite Western sanctions.
Cooperation is deep. The country’s military officers are reportedly trained to read weapons manuals with Cyrillic characters.