Aside from the transparency initiative of the government, the Philippines should stand up against the bullying activities of China in the South China Sea, according to David Nye, former editor at Global Times, the flagship and propaganda paper of China’s Communist Party.
Nye emphasized the importance of opposing China’s intimidation tactics, specifically in its aggressive action in the West Philippine Sea. He urged that the government should “go beyond exposing what China is doing” as part of its transparency initiative.
“We should be prepared to respond to the illegal actions of China. We are against their bullying activities. They are not an enemy but what they are doing is wrong. And based on what they’re doing, we have to respond aggressively to teach them a lesson,” Nye said.
“Whoever assumes power must accept that certain things China does are unacceptable and therefore, the response has to be consistent,” he added.
Nye argued that it is unlikely for China to cause a war due to the significant cultural value placed on maintaining dignity, or “saving face.” Rather, he described China’s actions as “muscle-flexing” performances intended for domestic audiences to justify the government’s rule.
He suggested that China’s tactics are often designed to “distract and create a smokescreen.”
“We should deal with it more aggressively because precisely this is all for show… Remember, the Philippines is acting in self-defense. It is universally accepted that if there is an aggressor or intruder who trespasses, out of self-defense from the aggressor, you’re allowed to use lethal force,” he explained.
Although he admitted that his recommendations are often declined by the government, Nye stressed that if the Philippines stands up to China, “they will back down for fear of losing face.”
He cited the example of Indonesia, where President Joko Widodo stood up against Chinese vessels in its exclusive economic zone.
“Widodo was a perfect example. He got fed up with all the illegal Chinese fishing that he rounded up all the illegal Chinese vessels and blew them up on live national television,” Nye recounted.
“What did China do? They lost face. To save face, they built Indonesia’s first high speed railway from Bandong to Jakarta,” he explained.
Contrary to dealing with the issue aggressively, retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio said that fighting China in the South China Sea may be a disadvantage.
He recalled the 2016 arbitral award given to the Philippines where the government made a move to “send their lawyers at the Hague” instead of sending its marines to “retain the Scarborough Shoal.”
“When China ceased Scarborough Shoal, we did not send our marines to retain Scarborough. We sent our lawyers to the Hague to strike down the nine-dash-line,” Carpio said in a forum in Manila.
“Let’s bring the dispute to a forum where we cannot lose. And that forum is the UNCLOS Tribunal. Where disputes will be resolved only through the facts and the law. And the facts and the law are on our side,” Carpio insisted.
