With one face pleading innocence and the other provoking confrontation, Manila has staged yet another clumsy performance in waters near China's Ren'ai Jiao in the South China Sea.
After personnel from two rubber boats launched from the Philippines' illegally grounded vessel BRP Sierra Madre (LT-57) rammed a China Coast Guard patrol boat and assaulted Chinese law enforcement officers with oars and poles, Manila once again rushed to cast itself as the victim, branding its operation a "humanitarian mission" while amplifying distorted narratives.
Yet the performance changes no fact. The Philippines has persistently infringed upon China's territorial sovereignty by refusing to remove the rusting military vessel it deliberately and illegally grounded at Ren'ai Jiao in 1999. Its repeated attempts to provoke confrontation while playing the victim convince few and only fuel tensions in the region.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service ■
