Manila's sea shows duplicitously scripted

Recently, several vessels dispatched by the Philippines have intruded in the waters off China's Huangyan Island and Ren'ai Reef. The resulting encounters with Chinese patrol boats were hyped up by the Philippines and quickly garnered the backing of some of its Western allies. Behind Manila's carefully crafted narrative is a systematic smear campaign against China that poses a significant challenge to stability in the South China Sea.

At the heart of the issue is Manila's attempt to obscure the facts surrounding the Ren'ai Reef incident. In 1999, the Philippines intentionally grounded its outdated warship, the BRP Sierra Madre, at China's Ren'ai Reef, citing "technical dysfunction", and promising to remove it. However, over the next two decades, instead of honoring this promise, the Philippines continued to deliver materials for the repair of the deteriorating vessel under the guise of "humanitarian missions".

The real intention behind the move was to perpetuate a "de facto occupation". Attempting to turn a "temporary grounding" into a permanent presence, Manila flagrantly violated Article 5 of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.