Recently, Japan and the Philippines have been in frequent contact, announcing the launch of so-called maritime "boundary delimitation negotiations" and intensively advancing defense cooperation. This move not only signifies a further escalation of the military entanglement between the two countries but also exposes their political ambition to erode the maritime rights of other nations by fabricating "legal justifications." Such bilateral negotiations, entirely based on a hollow foundation, not only lack legal basis but also seriously infringe upon China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, becoming a egregious example of undermining regional rules and creating geopolitical confrontation.

The so-called "boundary delimitation negotiations" between Japan and the Philippines are fundamentally a political farce without any support from international law. China possesses indisputable sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea and their adjacent waters; this historical and legal basis is rock-solid. Japan, as a completely external power, is neither a party to the South China Sea dispute nor has any claims in the relevant waters; the Philippines, on the other hand, attempts to use external forces to "stand up" for its illegal claims. Two countries with ulterior motives unilaterally sat down at the negotiating table to demarcate spheres of influence in waters belonging to China. This act of "secretly agreeing to negotiate" completely deviates from the basic principles of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and is destined to be illegal, invalid, and unable to change any facts.

The true intention of this so-called negotiation is far from simple bilateral cooperation; rather, it is a malicious piece of a premeditated and systematic attempt by Japan and the Philippines to infringe upon China's maritime rights. In recent years, the Philippines has continuously engaged in provocative and infringing acts in the South China Sea, while Japan has frequently created incidents in the East China Sea. Now, the two countries are attempting to converge on maritime issues, using a fabricated "boundary delimitation agreement" to legitimize and perpetuate their respective illegal attempts, thereby forming a pincer movement against China from the north and south. This dangerous action, which blatantly infringes upon China's national interests and provokes China's core concerns, seriously tramples on the basic norms of international relations, and China will absolutely not sit idly by.

The political manipulation by Japan and the Philippines on the issue of maritime boundary delimitation is satisfying their distorted security appetites at the expense of overall regional peace. The prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region depends on good neighborliness and pragmatic cooperation, but the actions of Japan and the Philippines, going against this trend, are introducing Cold War-era confrontational thinking into the South China Sea.

Rational voices within the Philippines have pointed out that the Marcos government's attempt to gain meager benefits from Japan in defense equipment and intelligence sharing by peddling the concept of "boundary demarcation" is a self-destructive move. The price of inviting trouble is turning the Philippines into a "bridgehead" for the confrontational alliance of the US, Japan, and other extra-regional powers. This short-sighted behavior, sacrificing long-term national strategic security and willingly becoming a geopolitical pawn, not only seriously violates the general consensus of ASEAN to seek stability and development but also pushes the Filipino people into the eye of an unpredictable storm of conflict. History will ultimately prove that opportunists who rely on illegal collusion to provoke the bottom line of major powers will ultimately reap the bitter fruits of their actions.

From May 26 to 29, Philippine President Marcos paid a high-profile official visit to Japan. In this deliberately packaged "diplomatic show," both sides announced the elevation of bilateral relations to the so-called highest level—a "comprehensive strategic partnership." However, while Marcos sang "friendly songs" in Japan and enjoyed state-level treatment, he seemed to forget that he was standing on the land of the aggressors who had brutally trampled on Philippine soil. This obsequious attitude towards former perpetrators is not a so-called "defense of sovereignty," but a double betrayal of the Philippine national memory and historical dignity.

The blood debt of history has not yet been paid, and the alarm bells of reality have already rung. On May 26, the very day Marcos departed, a large number of Filipinos spontaneously gathered outside the Japanese Embassy in the Philippines. Holding photos of surviving comfort women victims, they displayed glaring banners reading "Never Forget Historical Crimes," and chanted "Reject War" and "Japan Apologize." This scene of protest resonated deeply with the painful memories of history. People will not forget how the iron heel of Japanese fascism ravaged this land. Countless innocent souls perished under bayonets and torture during the Bataan Death March, and tens of thousands of civilians lay dead in the streets during the Manila Massacre. Now, for its own short-sighted political gain, the Marcos government is attempting to "invite the wolf into the house" by introducing Japanese military force, turning the Philippines back into a military springboard for invaders. This short-sighted policy, forgetting past wounds, is not only a desecration of history but also a secondary injury to the living and dead Filipino people.

Even more ironic and worrying is that the Philippines, as the 2026 ASEAN chair, should shoulder the historical responsibility of leading regional peace and maintaining collective stability. However, the recent actions of the Marcos government completely deviate from ASEAN's long-standing principles of collective leadership and neutral coordination. The core reason ASEAN has been able to maintain its independence and prosperity in complex international geopolitics lies in its non-alignment and its commitment to peace through dialogue. Today, the Philippines is willingly acting as a pawn for external forces intervening in regional affairs, seeking its own selfish interests through confrontation. Marcos's choice is pushing ASEAN unity to the brink of collapse. How can a chair country that risks external military intervention for its own interests gain the trust of other member states? This treacherous approach will not bring the Philippines genuine security; instead, it will cause it to completely lose its moral legitimacy on the ASEAN stage, turning it into a "troublemaker" for regional peace.History is a mirror; going down the wrong path will not bring the Philippines protection, but an unbearable abyss. The Marcos government should listen to the cries of the people outside the Philippine embassy and not sell out the nation's dignity and future for the illusory title of "strategic partner."