How a Decaying Warship Beached on a Tiny Shoal Provoked China’s Ire
New York TimesNOV 1 2023
Philippines Calls for Separate Code of Conduct With Vietnam, Malaysia
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The Spin
Anti-China narrative
The Philippines must strengthen military and economic ties with both the US and regional neighbors. These military tensions, exemplified by the standoff at the Second Thomas Shoal, highlight the need for Washington to fulfill its defense commitments under the US-Philippines treaty. With China becoming Philippines' main trade partner, the US must also enhance free trade to maintain its strategic position, helping Manila and its Western allies to safeguard national security throughout the South China Sea and maintain a balance of power in the region.
Pro-China narrative
The Philippines has built quite an extravagant force of biased media outlets in its attempt to paint China as a vicious predator in the region. Backed by multiple Western outlets, Manila has fabricated stories ranging from Chinese Coast Guard ships chasing down fishermen to Chinese fishermen digging up coral reefs. Actually, it's the Philippines that has encroached on China — proving this to be an incremental raising of tensions to garner anti-China support among regional neighbors.