As countries scramble to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak that began in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, some governments are still finding time for other pursuits. Last week, the Philippine government lodged two diplomatic protests against Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea. The protests, filed by the Department of Foreign Affairs with the Chinese embassy in Manila, covered two issues. One protest is over an incident on Feb. 17, when a Chinese navy vessel pointed a radar gun at a Philippine Navy ship near Rizal Reef in the Kalayaan Island Group in Palawan. The other protest is over Beijing’s declaration of certain areas of Philippine territory as part of China’s Hainan province.

Losing hearts and minds. (2020, April 30). The Philippine Star, p. 4.