Manila will not benefit from playing with fire over South China Sea

In addition, it can hardly be accepted as coincidence that Manila would become provocative on the South China Sea issue whenever US officials are trying to sow the seed of discord and embolden its Asian allies like the Philippines in a larger strategy of Washington to contain China.

Commenting on China's legitimate island construction in the South China Sea, US Vice-President Joe Biden told young cadets of the US Navy Academy at a graduation ceremony last week that China is the destabilizing factor in the South China Sea and the United States should keep peace in the region "as it has for the past 60 years."

Coinciding with Biden's speech and the Pentagon's indication that the US military would conduct surveillance over China's island construction in the region, a US P-8A anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft flew over waters off China's Nansha Islands.

Clearly, the United States wanted to play up China's island construction activities and portray the country as a threat to regional stability in a dangerous and irresponsible move that may lead to miscalculation and untoward incidents.

As the United States is not a party to the South China Sea issue, it should honor its commitment of not taking sides. If Washington allows itself to be dragged further into the disputes, it will only muddy the water and benefit a handful of countries in the region.

For Manila, it is advisable to be discreet with its words and actions and stop playing fire, so as to create a favorable environment for consultation rather than stir up trouble in the South China Sea.