Airdrop bid to sensationalize Manila as ‘victim’
The quasi-live broadcast on Jan 21 of the Philippine military hedgehopping a Cessna-208B aircraft to airdrop supplies of life necessities to personnel stationed on the Sierra Madre, the ship it grounded on Ren’ai Reef in 1999, offers much food for thought.
To begin with, nobody is stopping the delivery of such supplies to the vessel. It couldn’t be more obvious that Manila’s motive was to create a sensational effect. Given the limited amounts of the supplies that can be provided through airdrops, it was a means Manila gave up on a decade ago. But with the presence of the media on the US-gifted surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, as well as on nearby Filipino planes and ships, the spectacle could be broadcast as though it was airdrop to West Berlin at the height of the Cold War.
Out of humanitarianism, Beijing has long acquiesced in life necessities being delivered to the small number of military personnel stationed on the vessel. But it prevents building materials being delivered to the ship, in the hope that with the ship’s collapse, which is becoming increasingly imminent, the dispute can be resolved through negotiations.
This intention, which fully conveys Beijing’s strategic composure and forbearance, was well understood by Manila, and had evolved into a tacit understanding between the two sides, until the United States urged the Philippines to turn the rusting wreck into a permanent outpost on the reef.
Notably, Manila released some video clips and photos on the same day as it broadcast its Ren’ai Reef airdrops, which show China Coast Guard ships driving away Philippine fishing boats in waters near Huangyan Island in the South China Sea on Jan 12. But it failed to mention that the Philippine fishing boats were trespassing in Chinese waters without China’s consent.
Highlighting Manila’s provocative intentions, the Philippine military has also unveiled a grand infrastructure upgrading plan covering all disputed islands it occupies in the South China Sea.
These incidents clearly expose that Manila feels no qualms about breaking the consensus it had reached with Beijing at the eighth Meeting of the China-Philippines Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea in Shanghai on Jan 17. At that meeting, the two sides agreed that they should refrain from making any provocative moves that will further escalate tensions so as to create an atmosphere conducive to solution-oriented dialogue.
With its actions, the Philippine side has effectively ruined the trust that had been generated after much painstaking effort. By saying one thing and doing another, Manila has revealed that its true intention has never been to resolve its maritime disputes with China through dialogue, but to leverage the support of the US as an accomplice in smash and grab raids.
That it took nearly a week for the Chinese side to officially comment on the two incidents indicates that although Beijing will no doubt have made representations to Manila to stop its aggravating antics, its shenanigans will not prompt Beijing to abandon its long-term forbearance. Beijing continues to keep the bigger picture of overall bilateral ties and regional stability in mind.