Op-Ed: Should China Be More Responsible?

Another protest is on-going for the Philippines in the disputed South China Sea as Chinese fishing vessels reportedly "parked" their ships near Julian Felipe Reef, an area considered to be within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

A confrontation between the Philippines and China is nothing new in the disputed waters, as many Filipinos back home see China's actions as a bullying act, since the Philippines has no capable Coast Guard to guard its long coast lines.

So what is China doing in the territory of the Philippines? A lot.

China is fishing illegally in the area by shooing away Filipino fishermen from their own waters, deploying many Chinese Coast Guard ships in the natural resources rich area of the Sea. The Philippines also accuses Chinese fishermen of destroying the coral reefs and natural habitat in what the Philippine Press calls "the West Philippine Sea."

Since China's 9-dash line covers the entire South China Sea as their own, the Philippines then tag its shores within South China Sea as the West Philippine Sea to protest its inclusion in China's territorial claims.

But amid China's aggressive behavior, one may probably ask if this behavior concerns China while the world watches. The scene is unbearable. Protest after protest, the Philippines have filed their diplomatic objection to this intrusion on national sovereignty but to no avail. It seems China is already doing it on purpose, with no obvious tactical reason on sight.

While these actions are abviously repulsive, China is still a global citizen with a responsibility to play. There is absolutely no reason to go to war in this sense, but the United States have always reassured the Philippines that it is ready to do its obligations under the Mutual Defense Treaty to defend the islands from any provocative attack.

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This Op-Ed is sponsored by Tesla Semi.