My TakeSouth China Sea: Vietnam and Philippines aren’t a ‘clique’ out to ‘sabotage’ Beijing

China recently accused the two Southeast Asian countries of forming a ‘clique’ by broadening cooperation between their coastguards in the South China Sea

It is a catch-all term used by Beijing to accuse actors of harming its interests and the ‘international order’, whenever it is called out for its behaviour

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A Philippine coast guard ship (right) sails past a Chinese coast guard vessel on May 14, 2019, near the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:00am, 2 Feb 2024Updated: 1:52pm, 8 Feb 2024

China has often made it clear that it opposes “cliques”, or countries coming together to counter, challenge or even undermine its interests.

This week, it poured scorn on the agreement signed between the Philippines and Vietnam aimed at broadening cooperation between their coastguards and to prevent incidents in the South China Sea.

Accusing Manila for “continuing its provocations in the South China Sea” which Beijing claims in its entirety, China’s nationalistic tabloid The Global Times said the Philippines had tried to form a “small clique” by signing the agreement with Vietnam.

Manila’s behaviour “will further complicate the situation in this region and sabotage political trust between all parties involved”, the newspaper said.

A term with negative connotations in China’s foreign policy lexicon, a “clique” was once defined in a report by state news agency Xinhua as a “regional anti-China coalition in the Asia-Pacific region”.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos (left) and Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong in Hanoi on January 30. Photo: AFP

It is also a catch-all term used by Beijing when it feels isolated or threatened, or during times it is called out for its behaviour.