China 'cherry-picking facts' to defend bullying, says PCG

China is "cherry-picking facts" to justify its bullying tactics in the West Philippine Sea, according to Commodore Jay Tarriela, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman for WPS concerns "

-  EVELYN MACAIRAN

By cherry-picking facts, the People's Republic of China uses lies and fake news as a smokescreen to divert attention away from their illegal action, provocative behavior and bullying tactics to assert their illegitimate dashed lines that even their own Communist Party is confused on whether it should be 9, 10, 11 or even 12," Tarriela said on X.

In criticizing Beijing's actions, the PCG official was lifting lines from an article in China's Xinhua news agency, which accused the Philippines of resorting to "selective disclosure" and "cherry-picking facts." Xinhua also accused the US and Japan of influencing the public's perception of the situation in favor of the Philippines.

The Xinhua article said that "in terms of media ethics, the core of the Philippine public relations tactic can also be defined as 'selective disclosure' or 'cherry-picking facts. By cherry-picking facts, the Philippines uses professed victimhood as a smokescreen to divert attention away from its provocations and violations of Chinese sovereignty." It also accused the United States and Japan of having significantly aided the Philippines to influence the public's perception of the situation in the WPS.

"By exploiting their extensive network of think tanks and influential media outlets, they wield substantial influence in shaping narratives that align with the Philippines' agenda," the Chinese news agency reported.