{
  "id": 19144705,
  "title": "Why Manila’s call for softer tone will not ease South China Sea tensions with Beijing",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/why-manilas-call-for-softer-tone-will-not-ease-south-china-sea",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-11-09T11:15:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Reuters Business via SCMP",
    "slug": "reuters-business-via-scmp",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3373818/why-manilas-call-softer-tone-will-not-ease-south-china-sea-tensions-beijing"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A Chinese analyst has warned that the Philippine government's recent efforts to adopt a less confrontational stance towards China are unlikely to improve tensions in the South China Sea. The Philippine foreign ministry issued a rare public rebuke on Sunday, warning officials against using inflammatory language toward China and urging the development of a unified foreign policy to maintain stable relations. However, the ministry's influence over actual maritime policy and enforcement operations is reportedly limited, according to the analyst.\n\nThe rebuke follows Beijing's sanction of Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr and his family, preventing them from entering mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau, as well as prohibiting Chinese entities from engaging in business with them. This action was taken days after China had urged Manila to take action to prevent \"a few clowns\" from undermining ties through political theatrics.\n\nThe deterioration in relations between Manila and Beijing intensified in October when Chinese ambassador Jing Quan claimed that Beijing could easily win any conflict in the disputed waters. In response, Philippine lawmakers called for Jing to be declared persona non grata, while Beijing accused Manila of misinterpreting his remarks.\n\nA phone call between Philippine Foreign Minister Theresa Lazaro and her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on November 3 resulted in Wang's assertion that \"a handful of Philippine politicians, driven by political bias and selfish gains, [had] repeatedly attacked and smeared China.\" This prompted Manila to call for a shift in public statements.\n\nHowever, Chen Xiangmiao, a researcher at China's National Institute for South China Sea Studies, suggested that the statement exposed deep-seated divisions within President Ferdinand Marcos Jr's administration but doubted that it would lead to any significant shift in strategy. Chen explained that the Philippine foreign ministry and military/security departments have often been at odds, and the statement was primarily aimed at sending a message to the international community, including China, rather than effecting domestic changes.\n\nThe foreign ministry emphasized that the president is the chief architect of foreign policy, and individual officials can't unilaterally steer engagement with Beijing. While Manila seeks stable and predictable relations with China, the analyst noted that China's influence is largely shaped by its assertive defence and security establishment, which increasingly dictates maritime policy. Despite these challenges, Chen noted that there are rational voices in the Philippines, including in the foreign ministry and the business community, that want to maintain stable ties with China. However, these voices lack the power to steer the country's foreign decision-making.",
  "summary": "Manila’s efforts to strike a more conciliatory tone towards Beijing are unlikely to ease tensions in the contested South China Sea, a Chinese analyst has cautioned. This was because the Philippine foreign ministry held minimal influence over actual maritime policy and enforcement operations, the South China Sea researcher said. The assessment follows a rare public rebuke issued on Sunday by the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Live Mint",
        "title": "China rejects ‘spy plot’ claims around Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, calls it ‘nothing but smears’ | What Beijing said",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/china-rejects-spy-plot-claims-around-nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-calls-it",
        "published": "2026-11-09T09:56:59.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}