Original Article by Hu Xijin, Former Chief Editor of Global Times, a Chinese State Media Outlet. Published on 2023-10-10.
On the 10th of the month, the Chinese Coast Guard reported that a Philippine Navy gunboat deliberately intruded into the waters near China’s Huangyan Island on the same day, prompting swift action from the Chinese Coast Guard, employing measures such as “close surveillance and navigational control” to repel the intruder. Notably, it’s rare in recent Sino-Philippine maritime frictions for a Philippine Navy gunboat to play such a provocative role. I believe this signals an escalation of provocations by the Philippines in the South China Sea.
This statement from China quickly caught the attention of the international community, particularly the Philippine media. When they questioned Romeo Brawner, the Chief of Staff of the Philippine Armed Forces, about the incident, he surprisingly denied its occurrence, dubbing it “Chinese propaganda.” He further boasted, “If we truly had a ship there, we wouldn’t have let ourselves be driven away.”
I am fully convinced of the seriousness with which the Chinese Coast Guard reports maritime frictions. While China may at times choose to withhold information on certain incidents to control the narrative, it would never fabricate stories. On the contrary, the Philippine side has a track record of being unreliable and often shoots from the hip.
In my view, the Chinese Coast Guard firmly stood its ground against the provocative Philippine gunboat, sending it scurrying away in disgrace. The Philippine military probably did not expect China to disclose the incident so swiftly, leaving them unsure of how to explain it to their public. Thus, their default response was to deny, insisting “nothing happened.” This episode vividly exposes the Philippines’ penchant for bluster without substance.
Earlier this year, Manila expanded its “Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement” with Washington, thereby increasing US military presence in the Philippines. In return, the US prominently promoted a joint US-Philippine defense policy, encouraging the new Marcos regime to intensify maritime provocations against China. The current Philippine administration seems to be using this joint defense stance as leverage, hoping China will back down. There has been a noticeable uptick in Philippine intrusion activities near the Ren’ai Reef and Huangyan Island, accompanied by increased media campaigns.
Such behavior from the Philippines is frivolous. Whether it’s their navy or coast guard, the disparity in strength between the two countries is glaring. The Philippines sending a mere gunboat is pure theatrics – they would never dare to fire the first shot at a Chinese Coast Guard vessel. If they dared to, their fate would undoubtedly be a watery grave.
The Philippines lacks the resources to truly confront China. If China remains firm, responding forcefully to their provocations by blocking their ships or even colliding with them if necessary, the Philippines will certainly back down. They don’t have the guts to escalate skirmishes into genuine military conflicts and can only cry foul after being rebuffed, or, as in this instance, “swallow their knocked-out teeth,” refusing to acknowledge the incident.
I know that many Chinese netizens, upon hearing such news, may become enraged and suggest “Why not just sink the intruding Philippine ship?” But I would argue that we have a plethora of means to handle the Philippines’ frivolous provocations. We don’t need to break our longstanding record of not having engaged in any foreign wars for years. Let the Philippines create chaos and lose face each time they do. Handling the situation gradually might be an even better approach.