CHINA is at it again. Like the North Korean rocket man who fires ICBMs worth millions of dollars at the sea, for no reason at all but to scare his neighbors while his people are starving and remain unvaccinated, China manages to raise alarm levels. I am referring to its unilateral declaration of imposing a moratorium on fishing in areas of the West Philippine Sea (to them the South China Sea). In the same token, the Philippines, like a trial lawyer refusing to allow an objectionable line of questioning by an opposing counsel, tendered its continuing objection to the unilaterally imposed ban, through a diplomatic protest. Why does China do that? To remind one and all that she still lays claim to the area enclosed by the so-called nine-dash line.

Hofileña, Jr., S. (2022, June 18). A fish-eye view. The Manila Times, p. A6.