Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Guam, Philippines. All intended to be Ukraines.
Taiwan for legal international law reasons will make it very difficult for the U.S. and her so-called allies to make the legalese argument against China's actions since China has the law behind it's back firmly and squarely despite all the efforts to invalidate and re-write history by western fiction writers and propagandists.
While countries like S.Korea, and Japan have been singing a more belligerent tone against China the N.Korean equation can't be easily discounted and that is what prevents these chihuahuas from veering off from China furthering it's actions against these 2 countries.
Guam is a literal territory of the U.S. which is part of the U.S.
The PH is a totally different beast. It's a pseudo sovereign country when in reality, it's a virtual colony of America. Their politicians almost all travel and have families in the U.S. their military leadership is of no exception. The Philippine Army officers are groomed in the U.S. through educational exchange program with West Point, Annapolis for the Navy, not to mention stints at fort Leavenworth, Kansas at Command Staff General College, then the National War College or other Ivy league schools that offers security classes which are part of American security establishment. The PH has a defense treaty with America which was recently amended as a result of the Chinese alleged "greyzone" operation during their most intense standoff under then Pres. Benigno Aquino Jr. administration back in 2012. Which led to that same President taking the matter to the UN tribunal where they got assistance and helped from top American firms/lawyers provided but not paid for by America.
In my opinion, America is looking for ways how to severely impact at China without making America looking like the guilty party? The PH is one of the best candidate in this scenario. America coming to the aid of their "long-standing ally" shows the firmest commitment throughout Asia that America never shies away from a tough fight. Which will emboldened those countries in ASEAN that are sitting on the sidelines loathed to choose between 2 camps (China and U.S.) You got the PH leadership that are utterly corrupt, slick talker, knows what to say and communicate to the western audience --- Marcos could hardly give a toss to what Chinese people think since they hold the Marcos ill gotten wealth. Not to mention that China is not a place where most of the oligarchs want to settle, own any pieces of considerable wealth, properties etc. Most of their oligarchs see the Chinese business elite as a threat to their own very existence in their respective business empires they have enjoyed monopolizing.
The Philippine population don't have an appreciation of what modern combat is like, the level of disparity between China and the Philippines. What China is like as a country since most of the Pinoys think first of Communism their brains stop functioning straight. Which is why they're not even scared of going to war with China because of severe underestimation, racism against Chinese people as capable warfighters/warriors due to the intense anti-China propaganda they have been conditioned for decades. Talk to every regular Pinoy you have whether friends, acquaintances, regardless of where that Filipino person is situated most of them easily dismiss China's military tech, capability, know-how. None of the Chinese military weapons scare them since for most of them China made= CRAP. Take what happened with the recent news about the military exercise between America and the PH military where on the last day they tried to sink a stationary decommissioned corvette sitting 12 miles away from the shore. It took 12 missiles, an F-35 plane, and others to sink the ship down. While to some here or most of us find that scenario funny and maybe an indicative of how unready Americans and the PH to the Chinese threat and capabilities the PH leadership, and people are not even at all WORRIED let alone would call American tech as shit because their faith in everything and anything America = GOD. If that attempt was made by the PLA with the PH and the same exact result happened, the level of derision, ridicule within the large swathe of PH media, leadership, and public would be unceasingly negative towards China and the leadership that allowed such idiocy to happen.
China's capability is not fully appreciated for the above reasons stated. Other people that are based in the PH may quibble with what I expressed here but the sentiment against anything made in China by Chinese companies are not up to par or to the same level with the U.S.
A military clash in my opinion with an impressive PLA victory is what will CURE that ignorance once and for all. I hope it will never come to that point but at certain point the PLA/China must show that they're not some paper tigers. The legacy of the Korean War, even to a certain extent the Sino-Vietnam war has largely long been forgotten by the west and the simping allies like the PH. I hope am very wrong on this one and I hope to god no war or conflict starts ever.
