Manila's sea shows duplicitously scripted

Recently, several vessels dispatched by the Philippines have intruded in the waters off China's Huangyan Island and Ren'ai Reef. The resulting encounters with Chinese patrol boats were hyped up by the Philippines and quickly garnered the backing of some of its Western allies. Behind Manila's carefully crafted narrative is a systematic smear campaign against China that poses a significant challenge to stability in the South China Sea.

At the heart of the issue is Manila's attempt to obscure the facts surrounding the Ren'ai Reef incident. In 1999, the Philippines intentionally grounded its outdated warship, the BRP Sierra Madre, at China's Ren'ai Reef, citing "technical dysfunction", and promising to remove it. However, over the next two decades, instead of honoring this promise, the Philippines continued to deliver materials for the repair of the deteriorating vessel under the guise of "humanitarian missions".

The real intention behind the move was to perpetuate a "de facto occupation". Attempting to turn a "temporary grounding" into a permanent presence, Manila flagrantly violated Article 5 of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.

The Philippines has skillfully packaged this illegal encroachment as a defense of "sovereign territory", portraying the legitimate law enforcement actions of the China Coast Guard as "bullying" and "intimidation" of a smaller power by a larger one. Video footage released to international media by Manila highlights dramatic scenes — water cannon sprays by the Chinese side, vessel confrontations, and physical altercations that draw blood — while omitting crucial context, including provocative ramming by Philippine vessels and smuggling construction materials to the grounded warship. The aim is to create a "David-versus-Goliath" narrative to win sympathy abroad and claim the moral high ground in international public opinion.

This systematic stigmatization of China extends beyond the South China Sea. Besides its "Gray Zone" tactics — using non-military means such as legal maneuvering and civilian activities in disputed waters to garner international sympathy — Manila also accuses China of deploying a "maritime militia", and ensnaring the Philippines through debt and economic coercion. Such claims aim to deviate and downplay the complex territorial dispute between the two countries.

The Philippines' communication offensive is meticulously designed. Since taking office, the Ferdinand Marcos Jr administration has promoted the so-called "transparency" initiatives, inviting Western media to cover maritime law enforcement encounters and turn them into "real-time visual spectacles". Under the guise of "information disclosure", this approach allows Manila to frame events through selective editing.

At the diplomatic level, Manila has repeatedly invoked the so-called "South China Sea arbitration award" of 2016, while sidestepping fundamental issues concerning the tribunal's lack of jurisdiction and procedural flaws and disregarding China's consistent position of non-participation and non-acceptance.

Rhetorical terms such as "bullying", "coercion", "aggressiveness" and "big power intimidating small nations" are regularly used in the diplomatic statements, news briefings and official reports of the Philippines to portray China as a "bully" in the South China Sea issue.

This approach has far-reaching implications for the South China Sea situation across multiple dimensions. With external backing and high-profile domestic campaigns to promote the national "West Philippine sea victory day", Manila is likely to amplify its claims and intensify provocations in sensitive areas such as Ren'ai Reef, Huangyan Island and Tiexian Reef.

The latest Ren'ai Reef incident happened on the eve of the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, suggesting an effort to push the South China Sea issue onto the meeting's agenda, rally support against China and secure favorable mention in the meeting's final statement. As the rotating chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2026, the Philippines is leveraging its host advantage to break away from the "dual-track approach" on the South China Sea issue, draw ASEAN into the disputes and garner support for the endorsement of the 2016 "arbitration award".

If this gambit succeeds, it could disrupt China-ASEAN cooperation, which is not in the interests of either party and harms the Philippines' own development. In the Philippines, state media and social media platforms have turned "defending the west Philippine sea" into cross-partisan political correctness. The fueling of nationalist sentiments narrows the room for the Marcos administration to adjust its China policy, while increasing the risks that its frontline personnel may take radical actions under public pressure. Any major incident resulting in casualties could severely threaten bilateral relations and regional stability.

Against this backdrop, ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn's remarks on Tuesday, reaffirming ASEAN's support for the "dual-track approach" and for accelerating the consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, should awaken Manila. Lasting peace and stability in the South China Sea will not be secured through competing narratives and media spectacles, but by regional countries acting with sincerity and rationality.

The author is the executive director of the Beijing Office of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies.

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

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