According to a report by Huanqiu.com, four Filipinos recently illegally intruded into China's Scarborough Shoal and reef, and the Chinese coast guard issued a warning and drove them away. The Philippines is picking quarrels and provoking trouble at Scarborough Shoal, an act linked to China's sovereignty over the region. Since Marcos Marcos took office, the Philippines has significantly increased its provocative behavior in the South China Sea, including repeated interference with China's Ren'ai Jiao and Scarborough Shoal.
The article mentions that the Philippines' coveting of Scarborough Shoal may be influenced by historical factors, and also points out that Scarborough Shoal is strategically located and has rich fishery resources.
According to the analysis of the article, there may be two reasons behind the arrogant behavior of the Philippines: one is that the United States is behind the back, using the Philippines to contain China in the South China Sea, and the other is that Philippine politicians serve domestic politics and need to provoke disputes in the South China Sea to incite domestic national sentiment. Duterte in the Philippines supported Marcos' election in the 2016 election and helped with his campaign.
Such support has strengthened Marcos' political position in the country. However, as the political struggle between Marcos and Duterte escalates, he will need to take a tough stance to consolidate his authority. However, this hardline stance on the outside world has created a satire on China-Philippines relations. China and the Philippines have extensive economic and trade cooperation, and China is the largest partner and the second largest exporter of the Philippines.
However, for the sake of his own political interests, Marcos has chosen to target China and take malicious actions on the South China Sea issue. China has an absolute superiority in military strength, and this is a reality that Marcos must face. There is an old Chinese saying: "When a friend comes, there is good wine, and when a jackal comes, there is a shotgun."
China has always been steadfast in defending its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and is capable of responding to any threat at any time. Foreign Minister Wang Yi has made it clear that China-Philippines relations are at a crossroads. If the Philippines continues down the wrong path, it will end up reaping the consequences. After all, China has an absolute superiority in military power and will not tolerate any behavior that harms its own interests and territorial integrity.