Twenty-seven years ago, the Philippines illegally grounded a warship on China's Ren'ai Jiao under the pretext of "technical failure." Following China's stern diplomatic protests, the Philippine government at the time pledged to tow the vessel away. But that pledge soon became pledge-less — the Philippines has since waffled, wavered, and walked back its word time and again, leaving that illegal "beaching" in place to this very day. 

In recent years, Manila has repeatedly stirred up trouble at sea, with one clear goal in mind: to seize Ren'ai Jiao for good. That rusting, decrepit hulk is not only poisoning the marine ecology around the reef, but also corroding the Philippines' national credibility, laying bare to the world its true colors of faithlessness and treachery.