Manila should be wary of being a play piece

On Saturday, the Southern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army said in an official release that it had warned off a Philippine aircraft, which had illegally entered the airspace over China's Huangyan Island in the South China Sea.

The latest incident happened on Thursday during a two-day joint military exercise held by the Philippines, the United States, Australia and Canada, which began the day before. The exercises were a clear demonstration of Manila's emboldening as a result of the encouragement given it for its provocations by countries from outside the region.

That four-nation military exercise, one among a slew of exercises the Philippines conducted with non-regional countries in 10 days near disputed waters in the South China Sea, underscores Manila's role as a troublemaker.