How Chinese media characterised the Philippines

Note: Expert opinions have not been included, as these do not express the views of an editorial board. A total of 27 commentaries from different state-owned media explicitly mentioning and discussing the South China Sea and the Philippines have been reviewed for this report.

Infographic courtesy of CNN Philippines. This photo does not include the claims of other neighbouring countries.

MANILA, Philippines - Chinese President Xi Jinping has insisted on ignoring the Permanent Court of Arbitration's 2016 ruling which favoured the Philippines and invalidated China's nine-dash line across the South China Sea.

In a bilateral meeting with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on 30 August in Beijing, Duterte had reportedly raised the issue of the award but once again received Xi's rejection of the arbitral ruling.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo, in an interview with Radyo Inquirer on 1 September, quoted Duterte telling Xi: "I didn’t want to alarm you with what I’m about to raise because of your problem in Hong Kong, which is why I’m asking for forgiveness, but I need to say this because I promised my countrymen."

Chinese state media's coverage of the visit was positive throughout the meeting, focusing on how the two countries' relationship strengthened three years after the "ill-founded" award in The Hague.

Here's how the Chinese media, in its commentaries, described the Philippines throughout the South China Sea ordeal before and under the Duterte administration:

Stable bilateral relations through cooperation

Prior to Duterte's presidency, the Chinese media was critical of Manila's initiatives to solve the territorial dispute as it had implied an external intervention by Washington.

Manila, under President Benigno Aquino III, had proposed to ASEAN the Zone of Peace, Freedom, Friendship, and Cooperation (ZoPFFC) which will divide South China Sea's disputed and non-disputed areas, and designate a zone for joint development and marine life preservation. ASEAN remained divided in its dispute with China, and the proposal did not reach a consensus.

State-owned newspaper People's Daily, which publishes opinions on foreign policy under the nom de plume Zhong Sheng (homonym for 'voice of China'), said the proposal is a hoax and Manila lacked the sincerity to address the South China Sea issue. The paper argued Manila is the root cause of the complex Huangyan Island (Scarborough Shoal) issue due to the country's "baseless territorial claim." It described the case raised by Philippines at The Hague as "illegal, untrustworthy, and unreasonable."

Zhong Sheng has reiterated Beijing's historical claim, in which (a) China is the first country to discover and name the Scarborough Shoal as official maps show, (b) Scarborough Shoal is China's traditional fishing place, (c) the 1898 Treaty of Paris, 1900 Treaty of Washington, and the 1930 Anglo-American Treaty does not include Huangyan Island as part of Philippine territory.

"China is the victim whose sovereignty was infringed," the paper said. It added that Philippines betrayed its promise as a signatory of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea by filing the arbitration case. At one point in 2016, Zhong Sheng claimed the US instigated regional countries, including the Philippines, to "make troubles for China."

The paper affirmed that China is the "true guardian" of peace in the South China Sea, arguing the Philippines had been illegally building military infrastructure on Spratly Islands since the 1980s. Chinese Central Television (CCTV) echoed this sentiment, writing that there were no territorial disputes until the 1970s when “Philippines suddenly decided that some of China's islands and reefs were in fact theirs and occupied them without so much as a by-your-leave.”

State-owned wire service Xinhua News Agency, on the other hand, described the arbitral ruling as a "Hollywood-style farce." The agency reported that Philippines and other Asia Pacific countries are realising the importance and correctness of win-win cooperation.

Manila's wire service, the Philippine News Agency, had posted a Xinhua article on August 2017 calling The Hague's historic ruling as ill-founded.

The state media has changed its narrative, noting that territorial disputes have been controlled ever since Duterte was elected in 2016. Duterte's consistent stance is to negotiate rather than confront China over its claim of the whole South China Sea.

Xinhua emphasised on the synergy between Duterte's "Build, Build, Build" project and Xi's Belt and Road Initiative. It believes the two countries can "join hands to renew the legacy" that will improve connectivity and boost development along and beyond the Silk Road trade routes.

Duterte's visit resulted in a joint exploration of oil and gas in the South China Sea. The improvements in Manila and Beijing's relationship has become proof that China is committed to the principle of "shelving disputes and engaging in joint development," as Xi said.

HERE ARE LINKS TO FACT CHECK REPORTS AND ANALYSES:

Vera Files: Duterte says the name ‘South China Sea’ reflects China’s historical claim

Vera Files: Primer on the PH-China Arbitration

Rappler: CHEAT SHEET: What you need to know about PH-China case

Rappler: FAST FACTS: South China Sea dispute

Inquirer: China not first to name Scarborough Shoal, features in Spratlys

Inquirer: Maritime affairs expert separates facts from fiction on Scarborough Shoal

Inquirer: 60 maps debunk China’s ‘historical claim’ on South China Sea

Inquirer: Scarborough belongs to PH, old maps show

Philippine Star: Book proves Scarborough Shoal part of Philippine territory

ABS-CBN: 1734 map shows Scarborough Shoal part of Philippines

The Guardian: South China Sea dispute: what you need to know about The Hague court ruling