Hello bro you're so correct and also They occupy a very strategic real estate in Asia. Western military strategies celebrated when the Philippine pivot to America as they will be the fulcrum of US containment against China, for me that's a wrong assumption cause China had neutralized that threat by building those artificial island in the SCS making it a Chinese lake and also the advancement of Chinese missile forces especially their hypersonic weapon making those bases irrelevant and very vulnerable. The Philippine will be an albatross around the neck for the American, a liability if you ask me, what can the Philippine contribute? Now it will be different story if the US focus their attention on Indonesia, that will be a tremendous challenge for China if the US succeed, thus their effort to court her with massive economic investment and also with the America unequitable support for Israel, it makes the Chinese more appealing.
What will derail the US effort in courting Indonesia aside from their support for Israel? its Australia. For the Aussies the biggest threat to them is Indonesia. They had committed themselves to America with the condition that the US will support their agenda of balkanizing Indonesia to erase that threat. Timor-Leste will be the blue print and guest who is the Indonesian Ground Commander at that time.
