China, has a credibility problem, and its name is Xi Jinping. Since Xi became the country’s paramount leader in 2012, China’s foreign policy has been increasingly aggressive—and often belligerent–toward its neighbors in the South China Sea. In that same year, China seized control of Scarborough Shoal, which is well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ). It has since turned disputed islands and reefs in the South China Sea into military bases and airstrips. Domestically, Xi’s ruthless crackdown on all forms of dissent has all but destroyed the autonomy that had enabled Hong Kong to flourish. Short of threatening force, but allowing his military to make repeated incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, Xi recently suggested a similar fate might be in store for the democratically ruled island through “peaceful reunification.” This was an ominous reminder of his 2019 threat to use force to bring the island under Beijing’s control.

Credibility problem. (2021, November 25). Manila Standard, p. B1.