Loose lips sink ships
China’s evasion of resolving the territorial issue through international law reveals its duplicity, unworthy of an emerging superpower.
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China’s evasion of resolving the territorial issue through international law reveals its duplicity, unworthy of an emerging superpower.
Making outrageous accusations about the worsening confrontations in the West Philippine Sea, considered the region's tinderbox, has recently been the focus of Chinese megaphones.
One of the many outlets of the Communist Party of China warned that Beijing "will not turn a blind eye" to what it claims are repeated provocations and harassment in the West Philippine Sea.
Huge China Coast Guard vessels, some the size of Navy destroyers, block the paths of Philippine Navy-commissioned boats on rotation and resupply missions, or RoRe, to the BRP Sierra Madre, which was intentionally grounded at Ayungin Shoal, to serve as a Philippine outpost.
Despite the furious tone of the message, China appears to continue to reach out for a peaceful resolution on its terms.
China is unwilling to compromise its claim of historic rights over the entire West Philippine Sea, a claim that has been effectively nullified by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration in its 2016 ruling.
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Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Wu Qian said, "The nation is always committed to resolving differences through dialogue and consultation."
Unacceptable, however, is China's denial of offensive maneuvers, including the use of water cannons and other gray tactics equipment, which were all recorded since the Philippines embarked on an aggressive transparency policy in the conflict.
Unwilling to engage China head-on, considering the mismatch, the Philippines has brought world opinion to bear on the Asian powerhouse by recording the maritime engagements and by taking along Philippine and foreign media on trips to the shoal.
Despite the footage seen by the world, Wu denied the use of water cannons against Philippine boats and the ramming incident that raised the level of tensions in the disputed sea.
Among the recent gray zone assaults was the use of an ear-piercing "long-range acoustic device," which was an escalation from a military-grade laser that caused temporary blindness to the crew of Philippine ships.
Wu told a despicable lie when he indicated that China did not employ the equipment and called the allegations completely false.
The Philippines, he said, acted in disregard of repeated warnings from the Chinese side and insisted on sending vessels to "intrude" into the adjacent waters of China's Ren'ai Reef (Ayungin Shoal) and provocatively rammed a China Coast Guard vessel.
The spokesperson must exist in a parallel world since his claims are entirely devoid of reality.
Consider the recordings in which it was shown that the supply boats of the Philippine Navy were constantly ringed and subjected to intimidation to convince them to turn around.
The 2016 arbitral tribunal award indicated that the shoal lies within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, and thus, China is transgressing.
In a mirror of what it is doing to Philippine vessels, China warned that the country's behavior "is very dangerous and extremely unprofessional."
China's evasion of resolving the territorial issue through international law reveals its duplicity, unworthy of an emerging superpower.
Instead of bullying smaller nations while creating fictitious scenarios in their favor, China should show its responsibility as a regional leader by taking the initiative to settle conflicts instead of being the instigator.
Indeed, the region could exist without a superpower having to make its presence felt if China assumed the role of a responsible head of a community.
"China is always committed to resolving differences through dialogue and consultation and making a joint effort to maintain maritime stability, but we will not turn a blind eye to the Philippines' repeated provocations and harassment," Wu said.
It behooves Beijing to show leadership and halt the needless flexing of muscles when confronted by a smaller country about what is expected.
China is a great nation, and its officials should act like they deserve to be part of such greatness.
