Clearly provocative

In contrast, China’s recent attempt to blockade Ayungin Shoal and prevent the Philippines from resupplying its troops there appeared overtly aggressive. In video clips released to the media, the China Coast Guard is shown blocking small boats and even shooting them with a water cannon.

As other Southeast Asian leaders have said, superpowers need to behave responsibly. Tension in the South China Sea, known to Filipinos as the West Philippine Sea, is already running high. Like everyone else, the Philippines wants to avoid an escalation, which could be triggered by mistakes or miscalculations. For now, the Philippines has filed yet another diplomatic protest against China.

China has been upset with the Philippines, more so after the Marcos government renewed security cooperation with the United States, which now has access to more local military bases. China even accuses the Philippines of being the bully in the region, because of its military pact with the US and its allies. But those presumptions are off the mark.

Clearly, the Philippines wants — more likely, needs — stable and peaceful relations with China. Not only is it poised to be the biggest economy in the world, but China is also one of this country’s closest neighbors. Moreover, peace in the region is also key to global stability and prosperity.

Mr. Marcos has repeatedly said the Philippines wants to steer clear of any superpower rivalry. But no country will just keep silent when its security and other interests are threatened. To paraphrase the President, the Philippines wants to be friends to all, but not at the expense of its territory.

Despite its differences with Beijing on Ayungin Shoal, the government remains open to crafting some arrangement with all the rival territorial claimants that would preserve peace in the region. The challenge is for the Philippines to impress on those neighbors that being pro-Filipino does not mean being pro-American or even anti-Chinese.