The Philippines, it appears, has mistaken China's restraint against its provocative actions over the Ren'ai Reef as Beijing's weakness, perhaps because of the United States' promised support in case of a crisis. But the Philippines should be under no illusion that when push comes to shove, nothing can stop China from safeguarding its sovereignty over the reef.

The Philippines deliberately grounded a World War II-era warship on the reef in 1999 with the aim of asserting its unfounded claim over the islets. But it should not heighten tensions, while ignoring China's resolve to safeguard its maritime territory, in the hope of taking advantage of the situation to claim the reef, perhaps with the US' promised support.

On Sunday, Philippine vessels approached China Coast Guard ships in a dangerous manner near the reef, which is part of China's Nansha Islands, leading to a couple of dangerous collisions, prompting experts to warn that more aggressive actions by the Philippines could cause more serious collisions, leading to a conflict.

After the collisions, Manila condemned Beijing in the "strongest terms". Lashing on to the "condemnation", some Western countries, led by the US, threw their weight behind the Philippines while portraying China as a "bully".

Since taking office last year, Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. has chosen to embrace the US and become a piece on its geopolitical chessboard. And with the US' false promise of support, his government has been constantly taking provocative actions vis-a-vis the Ren'ai Reef.

To serve its own narrow geopolitical goals, the US has been peddling a false narrative that Manila is the victim and is standing up to the so-called "China bully". When the fact is that it is the Philippines that has infringed on China's sovereignty and territorial integrity by illegally grounding the warship on China's reef and stationing troops there. And given that the warship is rotting fast and may sink in the near future, Manila, backed by the US, has expedited efforts to repair it, raising tensions in the waters.

Manila's illegal moves cannot be justified by any international law. On the other hand, China is justified and has the legal right to remove the Philippine warship. Moreover, Manila should be warned that its brinkmanship over the Ren'ai Reef is tantamount to sleepwalking into a crisis. This is a time to be extremely cautious, as any strategic miscalculation or misstep risks causing a conflict, especially because China will resolutely defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.