“Beginning in early 2023 Manila adopted a novel new strategy—the first significant counter gray-zone innovation since its arbitration case.
This remarkable tactic of assertive transparency, led by the small but plucky Philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, adopted a seek-and-photograph approach that broadcast Beijing’s mendacity in vivid color for all to see. The Philippine media, kept in the dark for six years under Duterte’s policy, leapt at the chance to come along and embed on their patrols.
Initially staggered by this new approach, China reacted by dispersing its forces to make them harder to catch on camera, while trying to coax and coerce Marcos back on side. By summer 2023, however, Beijing changed tack. It pushed even more ships down to Mischief Reef and dug in for the Battle of the West Philippine Sea, Gray-Zone Edition.”