Advertisement
Asian Angle | How Philippines’ South China Sea ‘name and shame’ strategy put Beijing on the back foot
- With ‘assertive transparency’, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s administration has shown the limits of China’s ‘grey-zone’ coercion
- Tensions are high but there have been no economic reprisals, yet – possibly offering a strategy for other Southeast Asian claimant states to emulate
Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
36
The Philippines has stood out in recent months as an emerging example of how a smaller, weaker country can stand up to a larger, stronger one in the South China Sea.
Advertisement
Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s administration has projected new-found assertiveness not seen in the aftermath of the 2012 Scarborough Shoal incident. The Philippines has started to speak out against Chinese transgressions in its exclusive economic zone; bolstered its long-standing alliance with the United States; cultivated closer security partnerships with friendly players outside the South China Sea such as Australia, India and Japan; and has been pushing ahead with a reorientation of its defence posture from internal to external.
This policy innovation, dubbed “assertive transparency”, revolves around strengthening national resilience, building international support – and imposing reputational costs on China.
01:50
Chinese military ship accused of shining laser light at Philippine coastguard vessel
Chinese military ship accused of shining laser light at Philippine coastguard vessel
Openly publicising maritime incidents involving China and calling out Chinese aggression or intimidation is particularly noteworthy as it has not been observed before in Southeast Asia.
Starting from the laser-pointing episode in February, Manila’s new “name and shame” strategy does appear to have put Beijing on the back foot, perhaps due to the element of surprise more than anything else.
The Philippine coastguard says its Chinese counterpart has exhibited less aggressive behaviour since its actions were “exposed” – except around the Second Thomas Shoal, where a Chinese coastguard ship in August fired water cannon at a Philippine vessel on a rotation and resupply mission, resulting in a further spike in tensions.
Some have warned about the potential for negative consequences from the Philippines’ new South China Sea policy, particularly on the economic front in the form of Chinese foreign investments being pulled out.
Advertisement
Advertisement