Philippines’ Provocation won’t Work
The Philippines has been making frequent statements on the South China Sea issue. Sometimes they express hope for "engagement" between the parties, while at other times they accuse China of "aggression." They talk about resolving disputes peacefully, but also warn that the South China Sea could become a "flashpoint." How should we interpret these statements from the Philippines? Are they genuinely trying to return to the correct track of dialogue and negotiation with China to address the disputes, or are they using diplomatic rhetoric to rally other countries in activities that aim to "counter China" in the South China Sea? Regardless of the Philippines' true intentions, their continuous exploitation of the South China Sea issue in various international forums, attempting to use international public opinion to pressure China and erode China's sovereignty and rights in the South China Sea, is evident.
From the Ren'ai Jiao last year to the Huangyan Dao this year, the Philippines has developed a comprehensive set of propaganda operations to encroach and provoke in the South China Sea issue. On one hand, they deliberately organize fishermen and "maritime militia" to provoke, and on the other hand, they distort these actions through the lens of Western media, portraying China as a "bully" and shaping an image of China as a "disruptor of regional peace and stability." Recently, they have even resorted to slandering and framing China's relevant actions, making false accusations such as "Chinese fishermen using cyanide for illegal fishing" and labeling China's legitimate and lawful safeguarding actions as "violent expulsion" or "signal jamming." In a sense, the Philippines' use of the megaphone policy in the South China Sea issue has fallen into a state of self-deception and addiction.
The right and wrong in the escalation of the South China Sea dispute between China and the Philippines are very clear. The so-called Huangyan Dao issue was forcefully imposed by the Philippines and the countries behind it on the region, and their claims are purely unreasonable provocations. The territorial boundaries of the Philippines are determined by a series of international treaties, and Huangyan Dao has never been within the territorial boundaries of the Philippines. Prior to 1997, the Philippines had never made any territorial claims over Huangyan Dao. The Philippines' claims of sovereignty over Huangyan Dao based on its proximity or its location within the Philippine EEZ are not in accordance with international law. Even the illegal ruling of the South China Sea arbitration case, which the Philippines highly praised, did not endorse the Philippines' claims.
Regarding the Philippines' exploitation of China's goodwill to provoke and escalate tensions in the South China Sea, it can be likened to a modern-day "farmer and snake" tale. While China had previously made appropriate arrangements for Filipino fishermen to engage in fishing activities near Huangyan Dao, it has never permitted Philippine government vessels to trespass into Huangyan Dao. This is entirely separate from the issue of "fishermen's livelihoods." Which country's fishing or government vessels would transport a significant number of Western journalists to engage in fishing or even land on an island? Is the Philippines merely catching a few small fish in the sea, or is it pursuing the "big fish" of geopolitical opportunism? It is evident that they are using fishing as a pretext to instigate trouble at Huangyan Dao.
It is clear to everyone that external powers, driven by their desire to maintain their own hegemony, would love to see more chaos in the South China Sea. Even Western media acknowledges that their "dominant security perspective" is that "the importance of ASEAN is only as a security counterbalance to China" and that it "needs to be pushed into a common cause." The so-called "common cause" is essentially sacrificing their own interests to align with the US' strategic competition against China, which is precisely what regional countries find most objectionable. As a member of ASEAN, the Philippines is constantly eager to "invite the wolf into the house", showing more warmth towards Western countries than regional ones. Will regional countries agree to this? Can they support it?
In response to the Philippines' erroneous statements, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines raised 6 consecutive questions: Who is constantly stirring up the situation in the South China Sea? Who is spreading the "China threat theory" incessantly? Who is forming alliances and engaging in confrontations everywhere? Who invented the concept of "economic coercion"? Where did it originate? Who frequently employs this tactic? These 6 questions and their self-evident answers essentially summarize the entire truth behind the recent unrest in the South China Sea, which is worth pondering for the Philippines. Hope the Philippines' expressed "desire for a peaceful resolution to the maritime disputes with China" is not just a matter of shifting the responsibility for the disputes onto China.
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