Manila plays dangerous game at Ren'ai Reef

It is worth noting that the Philippines has a neighbor that has never sought to bully it with superior strength, settle disputes by force, exploit its moments of vulnerability, isolate it through hostile blocs or close the door on dialogue. Yet these are precisely the "sins" that the government of Ferdinand Marcos Jr routinely accuses China of committing.

The contrast between such rhetoric and reality is becoming harder for regional countries to miss.

Manila has reportedly sought China's help in addressing an oil shortage triggered by the Middle East crisis. It has also welcomed Chinese supplies of chemical fertilizers when the Ukraine crisis disrupted global supplies. But it cannot indefinitely demand economic cooperation while treating every Chinese act of goodwill as an invitation to provoke further confrontation.

On Thursday, the Philippines reneged on its commitments and ignored China's warnings by sending a supply vessel to deliver provisions to a warship it illegally grounded at Ren'ai Reef in 1999. The China Coast Guard responded with lawful measures, including on-site monitoring and verbal warnings, according to its spokesperson, who urged Manila to stop provoking trouble, saying the China Coast Guard will continue to conduct law-enforcement and rights-protection activities in the Nansha Islands and adjacent waters in accordance with the law.

Manila's now familiar response is to portray China's professional law enforcement as "aggression", apparently on the assumption that being the smaller country automatically confers the status of "victim". But a country's size does not turn an unlawful act into a lawful one, nor does a loud complaint establish who is responsible for a confrontation.

The signs suggest that the Philippines is preparing further resupply missions. Should it press ahead with them, China will have little choice but to take necessary measures to stop these unlawful provocations and safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights.

The Philippines' schemes violate the spirit of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, which calls on all parties to exercise self-restraint and avoid actions that complicate disputes. They do nothing to advance a peaceful settlement. Instead, they invite miscalculation in waters where regional stability should be a common priority.

So the pertinent question is why the Marcos government seems so determined to keep the South China Sea simmering. Domestic political pressures, including public discontent over inflation, may offer part of the explanation. So may the influence of external powers that have little incentive to see regional tensions subside. Certain politicians in Manila appear more interested in serving their own political calculations and the strategic agendas of foreign patrons than in protecting the Philippines' national interests.

The question is not who can make the loudest accusations, but who is actually working to prevent a local dispute from becoming a regional crisis.

The Philippines would do well to recognize the strategic patience China has demonstrated. Beijing has repeatedly kept channels of communication open, even as Manila has pursued increasingly confrontational tactics. It has not sought to organize a regional coalition to isolate the Philippines, nor has it abandoned dialogue in favor of force. Such restraint should not be mistaken for weakness, still less for an unlimited license to test China's patience.

The small-boat theatrics orchestrated by Manila's political "bad apples" should end before they inflict lasting damage on regional peace and the Philippines' own interests. A neighbor that keeps the door to dialogue open is not one to be needlessly pushed toward confrontation.