Beijing’s South China Sea obsessionBy Rath Wang 王健智Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela on March 1 was promoted from commodore to rear admiral from Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The promotion is a striking testament to how Beijing’s intimidation tactics on its current main target in the South China Sea have backfired. It is also yet another example that Taiwan can look to when it comes to responding to Chinese scare campaigns. As the face of the West Philippine Sea Transparency Office, Tarriela holds news conferences to expose aggressive China Coast Guard encroachments into the Philippines territorial waters to harass humanitarian resupply missions and fishers. The largest success in Tarriela’s approach is showing the world the hypocrisy of China’s “Sea of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation” concept in ASEAN.

Source: Taipei Times March 09, 2026 16:27 UTC