By acting as a proxy for Washington Philippines has clearly lost the plot

There have been times when the Chinese and Philippine governments have agreed their relationship is much bigger than their South China Sea disputes.

In those times, those disputes were managed relatively well, as were bilateral ties in general.

Yet those times seem to be over, at least under the current administration in Manila, and a regrettable lack of wise helmsmanship from it is sending the once manageable ties toward a dangerous fractiousness. To make things worse, third parties, in the region and beyond, are deliberately exacerbating the frictions.