When giving a keynote speech at the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue, Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. claimed that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the so-called "South China Sea arbitration" awards, which are regarded as the cornerstone of its South China Sea policy, both acknowledged the Philippines' legal rights. He struck a tough line against China by saying that his country would never give in on territorial issues. In response, a Chinese representative stated that China has exercised sufficient restraint over provocative actions, but there is a limit to such patience. He warned certain countries to be clear-minded about the pros and cons and come back to the right track of dialogue and consultation.

菲律宾总统马科斯日前在第21届香格里拉对话会上发表主题演讲，声称《联合国海洋法公约》和所谓“南海仲裁”裁决 均承认菲合法权利，是菲南海政策的基石。他还向中国强硬喊话，扬言菲律宾不会在领土问题上让步。对此，中方代表明确表示，中方对侵权挑衅行径保持了足够的克制 ，但也是有限度的，希望个别国家要认清利害关系，回归对话协商的正道。

In February this year, the Philippine Senate passed the Maritime Zones Act, which falsely claimed islands and reefs and related waters of China's Huangyan Dao and the Nansha Qundao as Philippine maritime territory in an attempt to fixate the illegal award of the so-called "South China Sea arbitration" made in 2016 by means of its domestic legislation. In his speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Marcos mentioned UNCLOS and the arbitration award more than once with the ulterior motive to promote his false maritime assertions, distort and hype up the maritime situation, and cloak illegal expansion with international law.

早在今年2月，菲律宾参议院就通过所谓“海洋区域法案”，企图以国内立法形式固化2016年所谓“南海仲裁”非法裁决，将中国黄岩岛、南沙群岛的大部分岛礁以及相关海域纳入菲海洋区域。在香格里拉对话会发表演讲时，马科斯不只一次提到《公约》和所谓“南海仲裁”，实际是想以此为基础宣扬其涉海错误主张，歪曲渲染海上事态，为非法扩张披上国际法的外衣。

History brooks no distortion. The Philippines is a country of archipelago that was once under the colonial rule of Spain and the US in succession. Its territory was demarked through the 1898 Treaty of Paris between the two colonists and a series of other international treaties, none of which included China's Nansha Qundao and Huangyan Dao. When the international maritime law was being established and revised in the 1950s, the Philippines took the opportunity to expand its maritime jurisdiction through domestic legislation, which gravely violated China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests and contravened international law including the UN Charter.

历史不容篡改。菲律宾是个群岛国家，历史上曾先后受西班牙和美国的殖民统治。它的领土范围是由1898年《美西和平条约》等一系列国际条约确定的。中国南沙群岛和黄岩岛并不在上述条约规定的菲领土范围之内。上世纪50年代以来，菲律宾借国际海洋制度的建立和调整，不断通过国内立法，扩大管辖海域的范围，严重侵犯中方的领土主权和海洋权益，严重违反包括《联合国宪章》在内的国际法。

In 2013, as the US put forth the "Rebalance to Asia Pacific Region" strategy, Manila unilaterally staged the political farce of the "South China Sea arbitration", which was disguised as a legal lawsuit. The arbitration is illegal from the very beginning and can't be equated with international law. Manila's misguiding brawl is doomed to fail. It must be pointed out that since China and the Philippines established diplomatic ties in the 1970s, the impact of the South China Sea issue on bilateral relations has been well contained. This has changed after Marcos came into office in 2022, since when Philippine ships' constant intrusion into waters around China's Ren'ai Jiao and Huangyan Dao has thrown bilateral relations on a nosedive.

2013年，在美国提出“亚太再平衡” 战略的背景下，菲律宾单方面提起“南海仲裁”，上演了一场披着法律外衣的政治闹剧。所谓“南海仲裁”自始至终都是非法的，不能同国际法划等号。菲方混淆视听的炒作注定徒劳。需要指出的是，自从上世纪70年代中菲建交以来，南海问题对双边关系的影响总体上被控制在一定范围之内。然而，在2022年马科斯政府上任后，菲舰船频频侵闯中国仁爱礁、黄岩岛海域，导致中菲关系不断下跌。

There are reasons behind Manila's seemingly unreasonable moves. A professor from the University of the Philippines pointed out that the US regards Marcos as a tool or puppet in its proxy war, while the Philippine government is willing to be its pawn in regional affairs. A popular rumor goes that the Marcos family has hidden huge fortunes in the US, so they dare not say no to Washington. Therefore, Manila's provocations against China on the South China Sea issue may very well serve Marcos' personal and family interests instead of the interests of the Philippines. This has exposed him to strong doubts and criticism at home. Former Philippine presidential spokesperson Rigoberto D.Tiglao called his country "US' puppet state" and urged the incumbent administration to learn to live in peace with China.

事实上，菲政府不理性行为的背后并非毫无逻辑。菲律宾大学教授图阿松指出，美方将马科斯视为代理人战争的工具或傀儡，而菲政府甘愿在地区事务上扮演美国霸权的鹰犬角色。有一种广泛流传的观点是，马科斯家族隐匿在美国的巨额财产是推动菲政府对美屈服的重要因素。菲律宾在南海问题上挑衅中国的行为，服务的或许不是菲律宾国家利益，而是个人利益和家族利益。这在菲国内遭到不少质疑与批评。菲前总统发言人里戈贝托•蒂格劳表示，“我们现在是美国的傀儡国家”，并呼吁现政府“学会与中国和平共处”。　

It is also noticed that during the Shangri-La Dialogue, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin didn't give a definite response to Manila's question about what will activate the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty, but instead emphasized that the US will strengthen dialogue with China to make sure the treaty would never have to be activated. This is interpreted as the US' subtle way of saying Manila isn't worth a direct conflict with China, which broke the Philippines' fantasy that the US would be behind it in all of its wild actions.

在香会期间，人们还注意到，美国国防部长奥斯汀面对菲律宾提出的触发《美菲共同防御条约》的问题时，没有作出明确回应，而是强调美国将加强与中国的对话，以确保不会发生这样的情况。这被舆论广泛认为，美方含蓄表达了不值得为菲方与中国直接冲突。菲方以为有美国撑腰就可以胡作非为，完全是不切实际的幻想。

Manila's maritime assertions are historically and legally untenable. Marcos' tough remarks against China are nothing but bravado. His trick of having his way by fabricating a false narrative cannot deceive the international community. Rather, that will only reaffirm his image as the tool of the US hegemony and a destroyer of regional peace, pushing his country further to a dangerous and isolated position.

菲涉海主张缺乏历史依据,在法律上站不住脚。菲总统对华强硬喊话的背后，不过是虚张声势。菲方想通过编造虚假叙事的手段达到目的，欺骗不了国际社会，只会坐实其是美国霸权的工具、地区和平的破坏者，把自己推向危险和孤立的境地。