That notwithstanding, the Chinese coastguard statement and Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ regular presser on Aug 11 made no mention about the catastrophic collision. Direct comments came only four days later on Aug 15, criticising the Philippine vessels for “dangerous manoeuvring” but stopped short of confirming if any collision occurred.
BATTLE OF NARRATIVES
Beijing’s narrative has banged on the same old tiresome boilerplate: The Chinese forces conducted their operations to drive illegal vessels away in a “professional, standard, and lawful manner”.
If anything, this narrative was demolished by Manila’s timely public release of information about the collision, along with the video footage, even before the first statements transpired from Beijing.
This was part and parcel of the Philippines’ assertive transparency strategy adopted since February 2023, aimed at calling out Chinese coercive behaviour in the West Philippine Sea – what it calls the portion of the South China Sea it claims.
This strategy also allowed the Philippines to demonstrate the Suluan crew’s astute seamanship and even humanitarian spirit by offering help to their distressed Chinese counterparts, especially when contrasted with the fratricidal collision that appears to reflect poor seamanship.
And to top it off, Manila was able to show the world that Chinese forces’ dangerous and unprofessional actions at sea pose not only a danger to Filipinos but also to themselves.
Source: CNA
