Debunking ’s New Normal: A“ Year After The Reed Bank Incident 9 June 2020 | vRTD” Despite the global health emergency caused by the virus from Wuhan, China, China continues to pursue its territorial expansionism in the region. Since the official announcement of COVID-19, China has taken its regional security agenda further by establishing administrative districts in the South China , escalating confrontations with the , Japan and , sinking a Vietnamese fishing vessel, and even creating tension in its shared land border with India. Tolerating the normalization of China’s security interests, which extends beyond traditional security, creates an imbalance of multipolar interests in the region, and violates established international laws and norms. Even with security threats such as pandemics, it has continued to pursue its national security interests despite its responsibility over the COVID-19 outbreak.

While we simultaneously grapple with a pandemic and China’s maneuvering in the SCS, we are reminded of how on June 9, 2019, 22 Filipino fishermen were left to die after a Chinese fishing vessel rammed into an anchored F/B Gem-Ver 1. While the Chinese vessel immediately sailed away, a Vietnamese vessel within the vicinity rescued the Filipinos without any second thoughts. The Duterte administration silenced this as a mere maritime accident although there were clear indications of maritime laws violations and hostile intentions. 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China’s aggressive moves are not unprecedented and very consistent with Chinese statecraft that relies on the abuse of any strategic opportunity to expand geopolitical interests relative to other claimant states in the disputed waters. DEBUNKING CHINA’S NEW NORMAL…

Amid the global pandemic, we must keep our guards up. We must enforce our territorial integrity in the West Philippine and defend our maritime rights in accordance with international law.

While there is a global initiative to defeat COVID-19 which is an invisible foe, there must be a united stand to promote a rules-based order. We should not be blindsided by China’s aggression and expansionism as we cope with the pandemic crisis.