IN November 2021, Chinese President Xi Jinping told leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) during their summit that Beijing would not "bully" its smaller regional neighbors amid rising tensions over the South China Sea. He assured them that China would never seek hegemony nor take advantage of its size to coerce smaller countries. "China was, is and will always be a good neighbor, good friend and good partner of Asean," Chinese state media quoted Xi as saying. The speech, which coincided with diplomatic tussles between Manila and Beijing over the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, fell flat back then. But three years later, Xi's claims of good neighborliness seem patently absurd as Chinese vessels routinely interfere with and even ram Philippine ships on their regular rotation and resupply missions within the Philippines' own exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Yet Beijing continues to peddle the fiction that it is a good neighbor. In March this year, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, "We are neighbors who cannot move. Asia is our common home." In the spirit of neighborliness, he said, China has been "highly restrained" over territorial spats in the South China Sea but added that it would tolerate no provocation and "legitimately defend" its rights. Despite Beijing taking liberties with the truth, this is what "highly restrained" looks like, even in areas of the South China Sea that are internationally recognized as within the Philippines' EEZ. Since March, Filipino supply ships have suffered water cannon attacks and been rammed by Chinese vessels in areas that Beijing also claims. In the most violent incident so far, a Philippine Navy sailor lost his thumb while several naval personnel suffered minor injuries after their ship was rammed by a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel and boarded by CCG personnel armed with knives, spears and swords. The Chinese seized a number of guns that were in storage, destroyed motors and punctured inflatable boats. Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner described the incident as "piracy." "They have no right or legal authority to hijack our operations and destroy Philippine vessels operating within our exclusive economic zone," Brawner said then. But more water cannon and ramming attacks followed well into September, and in August, Chinese jets flew dangerously close to and fired a volley of flares in the path of a Philippine Air Force patrol plan over Panatag. Nor has China been shy about advising the Philippines to "act with caution" and "return to the right path" to manage maritime disputes. Also in August, Wang warned the United States over its support for the Philippines in the South China Sea. "The United States must not use bilateral treaties as an excuse to undermine China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, nor should it support or condone the Philippines's actions of infringement," Wang told US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan during the latter's three-day visit to China a little over a week ago. Wang also warned the Philippines not to deploy intermediate-range missiles from the US, basically telling a sovereign state what it may and may not do on its own territory. These aggressive actions, combined with jingoistic warnings, speak not of good neighborliness but of Beijing's clear lack of respect for the policy decisions of a neighboring sovereign state. Faced with a superpower that is clearly bent on imposing its will on its smaller neighbors, the Philippines has several options. The first, pursued vigorously by the previous administration, is to kowtow to Chinese demands in the hope that they will "look kindly on the Philippines." Six years of this approach, however, have failed to produce any meaningful compromises or concessions from Beijing. Another tack, being pursued by the current administration, is to form alliances with like-minded nations that support Manila's legal territorial claims. On the military end, this is backed by joint exercises and a mutual defense treaty between the Philippines and the US, though neither party is eager to invoke it, and understandably so. We have also begun naval maneuvers with other allies, though we have so far turned down the idea of joint patrols on regular rotation and resupply missions that are the target of Chinese attention. Until we have a more well-defined goal for all this alliance-building, it is unclear if this approach would help us better protect our sovereign rights, but at least it will be easier on our spines and knees. And it is good to have friends and allies like Japan, who recognize not only our legitimate claims but also believe that the bully to our north is the "biggest disrupter" of peace in Southeast Asia today.
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