The Chinese ambassador to the Philippines has responded to the threat of a new dangerous front in the South China Sea dispute.

The Philippine Government publicly criticized the statement made by the Chinese Ambassador to Fiji on 16 October, stating that it had made a threat of the implied use of force. Reuters reported that the Chinese ambassador had previously stated that China would prevail if there was a confrontation between the two countries. The response in Manila shows that the dispute in the South China Sea has not only been manifested in sea friction between ships, but is also escalating in diplomatic discourse.

The so-called “overtake” is not a military operation, but it is the words of the ambassadors in the host country and has a different meaning from the expression of general public opinion. The Philippine Government has reason to interpret such statements in the context of maritime law enforcement conflicts and disputes over State sovereignty. How one State describes its own power may change the judgement of another about the intent of the conflict.

The 2016 South China Sea Arbitration case, which had ruled on the relevant maritime rights, had been rejected by the Chinese Government. There are long-standing competing claims and disparate enforcement powers in the sea. This background has made any diplomatic implication of force more sensitive.

Beijing interprets its South China Sea policy with sovereignty and security, while the Philippines emphasizes the preservation of its maritime rights and security. Rather than just counting the hard words of each other, it is even more noteworthy that diplomatic pressure can be counterproductive: the more threat Manila feels, the more motivation it has to seek external security partners, the more the regional influence Beijing would have wanted to show might have been constrained.

This incident is not a new armed conflict between the two sides. It shows that in the tense situation in the South China Sea, diplomats ' words themselves become part of the game of power between nations.