Risa Hontiveros's claim that China "threatens us with nuclear war" ridiculous - the Philippines does not have nuclear weapons!

Philippine Senators Risa Hontiveros gives the Armed Forces of the Philippines too much credit...

“A review of our bilateral relationship with China is in order. We can’t call a country that robs us of our islands and threatens us with nuclear war a friend,” Senator Risa Hontiveros said in a statement.

The Philippines, after all, is not armed with nuclear weapons. Therefore it will never be able to engage in a "nuclear war". Even among friends.

Indeed, believe it or not, even in this supposedly post-Cold War world, humanity still lives under the threat of nuclear annihilation. This is a fact whether or not Chinese strategic bombers are stationed on those little islands in the South China Sea.

China's capability to rapidly mobilise and deploy military capability is unmatched in the region.

At any one time, nuclear-armed nations bristling with nuclear warheads mounted on intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) are already targetting cities half a planet away from their respective mainlands. And that does not count the fleets of nuclear-armed submarines prowling the world's seas.

Risa Hontiveros should focus first on cleaning up her own comrades' Cold War rhetoric and modernise her thinking so that she could contribute to mounting a real Opposition to the government of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte rather than engage in shrill fear mongering.