Other disputed areas between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea include Scarborough Shoal (called Huangyan Island in Chinese), the Second Thomas Shoal (Ren 'ai Reef), and Reed Bank. One important manifestation of this is the aggressive approach to the sovereignty issue in the South China Sea. This is clearly aimed at the recent maritime dispute between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. This has forced Xi Jinping to moderate his hardline attitude toward the South China Sea issue. This statement is his consistent trick of strategic deception – he also promised Obama in 2015 that he would not militarize the South China Sea.

Source: New York Times December 11, 2023 18:43 UTC