The Philippine Star, another Philippine newspaper, has never used the term "summoned" in its front-page coverage; instead, it described the conversation between Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and China's Ambassador to the Philippines using the word "discuss."
Yet, the paper also "raises a big flag to make a tiger skin."
The outlet cited that the United States and Australia condemned China’s recent actions at Ren'ai Reef, an incident that resulted in injury to a Philippine naval personnel. However, when Foreign Minister Maria Theresa Lazaro raised the issue, Southeast Asian foreign ministers “remained silent.”
U.S. State Department spokesperson Thomas Piggott stated in a statement that China’s concerning “provocative pattern” targeting legitimate Philippine maritime activities undermines regional peace and stability and directly “contradicts” China’s repeated commitments to resolving disputes through peaceful means.
“The United States ‘condemns’ China’s ‘dangerous and aggressive’ conduct toward Philippine military personnel at Ren’ai Reef on July 20, 2026, and calls on China to immediately cease its destabilizing behavior,” Piggott said.
Experts analyze that the U.S. and Australia’s condemnation of China’s actions at Ren’ai Reef is fundamentally aimed at containing China via the Philippines, reinforcing the Indo-Pacific alliance system, and upholding the narrative of maritime hegemony, rather than purely expressing concern for regional peace.
Advancing the U.S. “Indo-Pacific Strategy” containment framework: Internationalizing and bloc-ifying bilateral disputes in the South China Sea, leveraging support for the Philippines to provoke friction, restraining China’s expansion of maritime rights, and consolidating strategic control over the Western Pacific.
Testing and strengthening the credibility of U.S.-Philippines/U.S.-Australia alliances: Demonstrating “security commitments” to allies through swift diplomatic support and military coordination (such as high-level visits to the Philippines and joint exercises), encouraging more aggressive provocations, while simultaneously drawing Australia into the role of “southern vanguard.”
Leading international public opinion and rule-setting authority: Using a “victim narrative” to portray China’s law enforcement actions as “coercion/aggression,” obscuring the facts of the Philippines’ illegal anchoring and deliberate collisions, attempting to reshape the legitimacy foundation of South China Sea rules.
Disrupting China’s surrounding stability and development environment: Creating regional tensions to hinder cooperation between China and ASEAN, aligning with economic and technological containment efforts, and preventing regional countries from deepening their dependence on China.
Philippine Side Collides and Attacks Chinese Law Enforcement Officers
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871371036895244/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.