Philippines and Chinese fishing boats

Asia-Pacific on the Philippines' handling of Chinese fishing boats in the South China Sea

No foreign outlet attacks Manila; Thairath amplifies Teodoro calling China bullying and shameless

In this window nobody in the monitored set is angry at the Philippines. The loudest piece is Thairath, which relays Defence Secretary Teodoro mocking a Chinese note in Seoul, largely in his own words and on his terms. The rest is Indonesian wire copy about Chinese coast guard ships confronting Philippine vessels. Huanqiu, the one outlet you would expect to be hostile, published nothing relevant. Thairath, 9 SepThairath, 10 Sep

1. French Polynesia Tahiti Infos Nothing on this
2. French Polynesia Radio 1 Tahiti Nothing on this
3. New Caledonia Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes Nothing on this
4. Timor-Leste Tatoli Nothing on this
5. Fiji The Fiji Times Nothing on this
6. Samoa Samoa Observer Nothing on this
7. Tonga Matangi Tonga Nothing on this
8. Vanuatu Vanuatu Daily Post Nothing on this
9. Solomon Islands The Island Sun Nothing on this
10. Papua New Guinea Post-Courier Nothing on this
11. Palau Island Times Nothing on this
12. Cook Islands Cook Islands News Nothing on this
13. Guam (US territory) Pacific Daily News Nothing on this
14. China Huanqiu (环球网) Nothing on this
15. Indonesia Tribunnews 1/10 at its hottest, 3 pieces
16. Malaysia Harian Metro Nothing on this
17. Vietnam VnExpress Nothing on this
18. Japan ZAKZAK (Yukan Fuji) Nothing on this
19. South Korea Chosun Ilbo Nothing on this
20. Thailand Thairath 3/10 at its hottest, 2 pieces
21. India Dainik Bhaskar Nothing on this
22. Indonesia Republika 1/10 at its hottest, 3 pieces
23. Malaysia Utusan Malaysia Nothing on this

1. 3

   Thairath runs a dramatised, quote-led rewrite of the Seoul Defense Dialogue clash. It keeps Teodoro's lines in full: 'learn some manners – stop bullying your neighbours', 'This is no longer a grey zone, but outright coercion, bullying and aggression', and 'Of course, because you lost.' It leans toward his framing. It is a rewrite of Yonhap and INQUIRER.net reports, not Thairath's own opinion.

   This is the most widely read Thai popular daily, and it carries Manila's sharpest line against Beijing almost word for word. A mass Thai audience gets the Philippine message, contempt included, without any pushback. Thairath, 9 Sep

2. 2

   Thairath's own backgrounder puts 'bullying and shameless' in its headline. The body is even-handed: it gives Mao Ning's reply that the Philippines should 'stop seeking attention, stop stirring up trouble' in full. It ends by drawing a lesson for Thailand's own maritime dispute with Cambodia.

   Thairath reads the Philippine dispute through Thailand's own interests, as a test case for Bangkok. That is neither support for Manila nor hostility to it. Thairath, 10 Sep

3. 1

   The AFP/detikNews rewrite on the alleged ramming of the BFAR vessel BRP Datu Magat Salamat notes that 'the footage does not directly show the moment the two vessels touched.'

   This is the only line in the set that hints at doubt about a Philippine claim. It is a wire caveat, not an outlet's view. Watch for it if Beijing disputes Manila's video evidence. Republika, 18 Sep

Read the full Asia-Pacific lens: 8 translated articles, where outlets split, and what the coverage says about the countries themselves.