Playing the victim card

China’s claim that the Filipino soldiers stationed at Ayungin Shoal pointed guns at Chinese Coast Guard during a resupply mission on May 19 is extremely absurd, if not downright waggish.

After several brushes with the Philippine troops on the West Philippine Sea that always ended with CCG ships blasting water cannons on the hapless Filipinos, China, obviously, is now playing the aggrieved from being the aggressor.

Probably sensing that they are slowly creating a bad picture in the eyes of the world, the Chinese are singing an odd tune in an attempt to shift the narrative and curry international sympathy.

But this ploy falls flat in light of China’s long history of aggressive behavior and territorial encroachments in the region.

For years, the West Philippine Sea, part of the larger South China Sea, has been a flashpoint for tensions between China and several Southeast Asian nations, including the Philippines. 

China’s sweeping claims over the area, delineated by its infamous nine-dash line, have been deemed inconsistent with international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). 

Despite a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that invalidated China’s expansive claims, Beijing has persisted in its assertive stance, constructing artificial islands, deploying military assets, and harassing foreign vessels, including those from the Philippines.

China’s latest accusations against the Philippines are a textbook example of deflection and victim-playing. By asserting that Filipino soldiers pointed guns at their Coast Guard, China aims to portray itself as the responsible, peace-seeking nation unjustly threatened by its smaller neighbor. 

However, this narrative crumbles under scrutiny. The reality on the ground tells a different story: Chinese maritime militia vessels frequently swarm the waters around the Philippines’ maritime zones, intimidating local fishermen and obstructing supply missions to Philippine military outposts.

The irony of China’s victim narrative is stark. For years, Beijing has engaged in a pattern of coercion and militarization in the West Philippine Sea, ignoring diplomatic protests and international rulings. 

This tactic of playing the aggrieved is not new for China. It is part of a broader strategy to manipulate international opinion and maintain a façade of peaceful rise. By casting itself as a victim, China seeks to undermine the legitimacy of the Philippines’ actions, divert attention from its own transgressions, and gain a diplomatic upper hand.