Manila — In a diplomatic own-goal that highlights the risks of China's aggressive information warfare in the South China Sea, the Chinese Embassy in Manila inadvertently cited an official Philippine government document that affirms Scarborough Shoal lies within the country's 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.
The embassy was attempting to counter Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela, who has become a persistent thorn in Beijing's side with his public documentation of Chinese maritime activities in Philippine waters. Instead, the embassy's social media post referenced a Philippine document that explicitly states Bajo de Masinloc (the Philippine name for Scarborough Shoal) falls within the country's EEZ as defined by the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
"Thank you, China," Tarriela responded on social media, sharing screenshots of the embassy's post alongside the document it had cited.
The incident underscores the hazards of Beijing's strategy of flooding regional information spaces with counter-narratives, often without careful vetting. China claims nearly the entire South China Sea based on a vaguely-defined "nine-dash line" that an international tribunal in 2016 ruled has no legal basis.
Scarborough Shoal, located 124 nautical miles west of Luzon, has been a flashpoint since Chinese vessels seized control of the feature in 2012 following a tense standoff with Philippine ships. The shoal's rich fishing grounds have made it economically vital to Filipino fishermen, who now require permission from Chinese coast guard vessels to access waters that international law recognizes as theirs.
The embassy's blunder comes as Manila has adopted a more assertive posture under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has strengthened defense ties with the United States and authorized Philippine officials to publicly document Chinese harassment of Filipino vessels.
