Philippines poses a challenge to Chinese hegemony with 153 diplomatic protests

Manila: – The Philippines registered 153 protests at the diplomatic level against the Chinese hegemonic actions in the South China Sea. This information was given by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines. The Philippines has taken aggressive steps against China that has been taking inciting actions to challenge peace, stability and order in the maritime region. The international community has noticed this move by the Philippines.

Publicly protesting a country’s actions is equivalent to using a weapon on the diplomatic level. The Philippines has used this diplomatic weapon very effectively, protesting 153 times against China’s inciting and provocative actions in the South China Sea. The media were compelled to notice; it brought China’s efforts in this maritime area to the forefront of discussions on the international level. China was trying hard to prevent its actions in the region from being discussed internationally. But the Philippines did not allow China to succeed.

China claims its right over about 3.5 million square kilometres of the South China Sea. These include the maritime borders of the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei. China has created artificial islands in the Spratly Islands region of the Philippines and has even built a runway on these islands. At the same time, the Chinese militia Flotilla had sent hundreds of its ships into the Filipino territorial waters. Outraged, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte issued an ultimatum to China.

President Duterte warned, ‘The Philippines will also build artificial islands against China. The Philippines is prepared to fight a bloody war to regain its maritime region’. President Duterte asserted that the Philippines would not withdraw the patrol boats in the region as per China’s demand. He also announced that the Philippines would seek assistance from the United States if the dispute festered further. After that, the Philippines allowed the US warships to be deployed in its ports.

Moreover, Vietnam has also adopted an aggressive stand against the Chinese hegemonic policies, like the Philippines. Countries like the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Australia have increased their patrolling in this region.