What fallacious arguments has the Philippines made to provoke China's anger? After China issued a serious warning, how will it handle the South China Sea dispute? And who exactly does China mean by "some people"?

According to a message from the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines on January 13, in response to the relevant statement issued by the Philippine Coast Guard, the Deputy Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines stated: China firmly rejects the Philippines' statement that ignores facts and is misleading.

China pointed out that the use of the concept of "maritime zone" by the Philippines is illegal, confusing territorial seas with exclusive economic zones. Moreover, China had already made an exclusionary declaration under Article 298 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in 2006, excluding disputes related to maritime boundary delimitation from the arbitration process.

The "South China Sea Arbitration" farce

At the same time, China listed multiple provocative actions by the Philippines from 1999 to 2025, pointing out that it is always the Philippines that tries to change and destroy the status quo, provoking incidents, and China has been forced to take necessary measures to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, ensuring the comprehensive and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. China has maintained maximum tolerance and restraint; otherwise, the situation on site might have been completely different.

China emphasized that there are also territorial and maritime disputes with other neighboring countries, but they have found solutions through dialogue and consultation or at least managed to control the situation. It asked why China and the Philippines cannot manage their differences as they do with other neighboring countries. Is it because someone does not want to do so?

China warned that no matter when this person makes fallacious statements about China and the sea, regardless of how many accomplices he has—1, 10, or 100—China is ready to face him anytime, and will do so all the way.

China Coast Guard dealing with Philippine violations and provocations

In the end, China gave a sincere reminder to the Philippines, saying that some people are using the banner of "upholding rights" to incite confrontation and stoke tension, pushing the Philippines to the forefront of geopolitical competition and pushing two neighboring countries that could coexist amicably to the brink of war and conflict. This would only severely damage the fundamental and long-term interests of the Philippines.

From China's response, we can roughly reconstruct what the Philippines' statement actually said. It was nothing more than bringing up old issues and reheating the "South China Sea Arbitration" case, accusing China of being "aggressive" in the South China Sea, aiming to present itself as a victim, stirring domestic populism, and gaining international sympathy.

Therefore, China did not hesitate to expose the malicious intentions of the Philippines in swapping concepts and misleading public opinion. At the same time, China declared that the "South China Sea Arbitration" case is illegal and invalid, and has no binding force on China.

Philippine shipwreck

Since 1999, the events in the South China Sea have proven that the main culprit behind the tense situation is the Philippines. China has always taken action only when forced. If it were not for China's tolerance and restraint, the Philippines would have been dealt with long ago.

As expected, the Philippines may be quiet for a while, but how long remains unknown. However, one thing the Philippines needs to understand is that China's tolerance and restraint are not retreat or compromise. If someone wants to escalate the situation, China will not hesitate to take strong measures. This means that China's tolerance is about to come to an end, and if the Philippines continues to provoke, it will not get a good outcome.

Similarly, China also explained that dialogue and consultation are the only way to resolve the South China Sea dispute. If the Philippines is willing to talk, China's doors are open. If it wants to solve the issue in an unseemly way, China is ready to face it all the way.

Marcos

As for the "some people" mentioned by China, I think it has two meanings. One refers to people within the Philippines who gain political benefits by inciting Sino-Philippine tensions, such as President Marcos of the Philippines, who is a typical example. When the flood prevention project corruption case was exposed, the Philippines also increased its provocative actions in the South China Sea. It is clear to everyone that this is an attempt to shift the focus of domestic problems externally.

The second refers to external forces that harbor hostile intentions toward China. They want to turn the Philippines into a vanguard fortress to contain China, and are willing to trigger a conflict in the South China Sea. However, China is not afraid of these so-called evil forces. If a conflict occurs in the South China Sea, those behind the scenes who are instigating will also have to pay a price.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/7594700658675089929/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author alone.