Skinning a cat

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is reaping recognition for taking the ingenious step against China.

The measured transparency policy as a way of pushing back against the forceful harassment is finding its mark as China has needed to justify, one-sided as it may be, its actions in the West Philippine Sea.

In the past, it was a sweeping statement such as “China exercises undisputed sovereignty” over a certain area of concern but more recently the China Coast Guard, or CCG, has taken pains to present videos of its manner of challenging Philippine vessels.

Beijing’s mouthpieces also show photos of Philippine Coast Guard vessels with journalists on board while referring to an agreement between both neighbors to de-escalate the tension.

Bringing journalists along as witnesses to China’s sea tactics, which have become increasingly aggressive over time, is an integral part of the transparency strategy.

The policy has had a strong impact on the Philippines’ effort to assert its rights based on the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration award even as it is disadvantaged in terms of military assets.

Transparency has put pressure on China which in its culture and tradition places strong value on keeping face before the world.

A prominent China state-owned publication published photos taken by the CCG of journalists “onboard Philippine vessel 3002 near China’s Huangyan Island on Thursday to take pictures and shoot videos in an attempt to smear and hype up the CCG’s operation.”

The filming and narration of the events exposed China’s gray zone tactics, including the use of water cannons, military grade lasers and, lately, ear-piercing sonic apparatus against Philippine ships, aside from the shadowing and intentional ramming that Chinese vessels had resorted to.

Taking China to task for its actions is hardly an effort to “smear and hype.”

The Philippine Coast Guard has been spearheading the transparency campaign by releasing videos and images documenting Chinese actions in the WPS.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is reaping recognition for taking the ingenious step against China as one geopolitical expert cited his administration’s deft handling of the skirmishes with Beijing, saying that it deserved commendation.

“The incumbent administration has become more vocal in defending the Philippines’ maritime claims, in contrast to former President Rodrigo Duterte’s dubious stance and reluctance to confront Beijing over the South China Sea row,” Huynh Tam Sang, research fellow at the Taiwan NextGen Foundation, said.

“Manila’s courageous move exemplifies how a middle power could stand up to defend its interests even when obstructed by a much more powerful giant,” Huynh said.

China’s troubles will multiply if other claimants adopt a similar strategy of exposing Beijing’s maneuvers.

“Other claimant states in the South China Sea could follow suit by studying and adopting Manila’s approach, particularly by exposing China’s aggressive behaviors to both the domestic and international media,” Huynh said.

Regional observers credited the transparency policy for Western nations running to the side of the Philippines with the offer of security arrangements.

China’s aggressive actions in the WPS have faced increasing international condemnation, making it easier for the Philippines to strike security partnerships and receive material assistance from traditional and non-traditional allies, including the United States, Japan, and Australia, with all of whom it has conducted joint patrols.

Security deals with Japan and France, along with the recent offer of the United Kingdom, will further bolster the Philippines’ ability to push back against Chinese aggression.

The defense deals underscore the transparency strategy’s value in countering China’s gray zone tactics and safeguarding Philippine territorial rights.

The strategy may even pressure China to go along with the international convention and accept that its ten-dash line does not conform to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

It may be wishful thinking, but who knows?

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