Manila playing with fire risks regional peace and stability

The video clips and photographs Manila has provided as "evidence" to accuse China Coast Guard vessels of using water cannon against Philippine ships and ramming them in waters near China's Huangyan Island and Ren'ai Reef in the South China Sea on the weekend actually do a disservice to its argument that the Chinese side took the initiative to "escalate the tensions".

To begin with, Manila intentionally omitted in its "evidence" the part showing China Coast Guard personnel repeatedly asking the Philippine vessels to steer clear of the waters adjacent to the Chinese island and reef in both incidents. The edited "highlights" of the events that occurred indicate how the Philippines has brought disgrace upon its own head by portraying itself as a "victim" of bullying.

That the Philippine Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Romeo Brawner was on board one of the Philippine vessels, which were trying to transport construction materials to the old battleship that Manila grounded on Ren'ai Reef in 1999, does not change the trespassing nature of the Philippines in the whole affair.

Instead, by sending a senior military official to the beat-up battleship despite having promised more than once to Beijing, over the past more than two decades, to tug it away only exposes which side was taking the initiative to escalate tensions, and which side is still exercising restraint on the issue, avoiding confrontation over the dispute that can be resolved through dialogue and not allowing it to hijack the overall Sino-Philippine relations.

The whole world can see it clearly that it is the Philippine side that has been doing the United States' bidding, acting as the latter's proxy in the region and provoking China with the intention of then smearing it with the tag of a regional "bully", thus providing the US an excuse to interfere in regional matters.

By opening nine of its bases overlooking the waters to the south of China's Taiwan island and the eastern flank of the South China Sea to the US military, Manila has long exposed itself as a puppet of the US in the region.

No wonder, soon after the weekend farce orchestrated by Washington and played out by Manila in the South China Sea, the US State Department endorsed Manila's provocations by calling on China to halt its "dangerous and destabilizing" actions in the sea.

The ugly role the US plays behind the scenes is an important reason why Beijing always bears the bigger picture in mind when handling relations with Manila, showing remarkable restraint to the latter's ill-advised and provocative moves that are instigated by Washington but hurt the interests of the whole of the Asia-Pacific.

But China will never compromise on its core interests. The People's Liberation Army will take resolute measures to defend the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and safeguard regional peace and stability.

Redlines have long been drawn there. The ball is in the court of the Philippine side to decide how far it can afford to go to act as a US pawn in the region.

The author is a writer with China Daily.