There’s been a discernible change in tone in the Chinese domestic media discourse about escalating tensions in the South China Sea.
Until now, much of the narrative set by both state and Communist Party-run media outlets has focused on the Philippines serving as a pawn of U.S. meddling in the region.
This week, though, commentators in major national publications are using much darker language to frame the story with references to war, “black holes,” and the situation “spiraling” out of control:
- SPIRALING: “Countries in the South China Sea region should not underestimate the impact of the Philippines’ progressive and willful violations, especially the gradual erosion of mutual trust that underpins regional security. At the same time, they must be aware that the security situation is spiraling because of Manila’s escalations.” (CHINA NET, in Chinese)
- BLACK HOLE: “We seem to be falling into an invisible but real ‘black hole’ in the South China Sea. This ‘black hole’ is not only devouring the foundation of China-Philippines relations, but also sucking in the entire security situation in the South China Sea.” (THE PAPER, in Chinese)
- CONFLICT: “The Philippines talks about pursuing regional peace, but its real actions are to create confrontation and conflict. The main reason behind this is the instigation and support of external forces such as the U.S.” (GLOBAL TIMES, in Chinese)
Chinese media portray the situation mainly as Beijing behaving within the law (its laws, by the way, not international law) and that the U.S. and its subordinates in Asia are determined to upset the status quo.
There are two very important sub-themes within the coverage that are also important to note:
- China is the victim here, not the aggressor. This touches on powerful emotions related to the “century of humiliation” narratives often embedded into stories about China standing up to Japan and the U.S. on what they perceive as their territory.
- China sets the terms. News coverage and commentaries often include standard references that claim this situation could be resolved through negotiation if only the U.S. would butt out. What they don’t say, though, is that talks would only be held on China’s terms — namely, that the ten-dash line is inviolable, which is obviously a non-starter for Manila and other claimants.
