Commentary: Manila's shortsightedness on South China Sea disputes will backfire

After likening China to Nazi Germany in an interview with The New York Times more than a year ago, Philippine President Benigno Aquino III played the same old trick again, this time in Tokyo.

Aquino made the comments Wednesday in an address to business leaders during his visit to Japan.

As Aquino described himself as "an amateur student of history," he really is ignorant of history.

China has indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and adjacent waters. And China has always been pursuing peaceful development and developing friendly ties with all other countries on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.

China's claim of the South China Sea islands is about protecting its sovereignty, which cannot be compared to Nazi Germany's expansion prior to World War II.

Moreover, Aquino is also an amateur politician as he never hesitates to sacrifice national interests and the Sino-Philippine relations to gain military support from the United States and Japan.

In September 2011, Aquino made his first state visit to China since taking office in June 2010, which was his first foreign destination outside the Association of Southeastern Asian Nations (ASEAN).

He and Chinese leaders agreed to handle disputes in bilateral relations through consultation and to boost bilateral ties.

In November 2014, on the sidelines of the 22nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting in Beijing, Aquino told Chinese President Xi Jinping that the Philippines was willing to solve relevant problems with China and wanted to improve bilateral ties.

But in the meantime, the Philippines never stops provocative acts in the South China Sea -- from illegally occupying China-owned islands to detaining Chinese fishing vessels, from increasing servicemen to purchasing military equipment.

The Philippines broke its promise with China and violated its commitment in the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.

Yes, solving territorial disputes has never been easy. China and ASEAN countries have identified a "dual-track" approach on the South China Sea, which calls for disputes to be resolved through negotiations and consultation between concerned parties and for China and ASEAN member states to work together to maintain peace and stability.

Furthermore, neither the United States nor Japan is a concerned party to the South China Sea issue. It is advisable that both of them keep away from the disputes.

Some experts say the United States, which seeks rebalancing to the Asia-Pacific, needs to rely on the Philippines on the South China Sea issue while Japan wants to distract China from dealing with their East China Sea disputes through supporting the Philippines.

However, a wise U.S. administration will not let the South China Sea issue damage its relations with China -- one of the most important bilateral ties in the world. Both Manila and Tokyo should understand that they will be dismissed by Washington as cannon fodder when the issue affects U.S.-China relations.

In all, Manila's shortsightedness on the South China Sea disputes will backfire. What's more, its inappropriate handling of the issue will be harmful to regional security and stability. Endi