The Philippines, together with its American "little brothers" Australia and Canada, conducted a so-called "joint patrol" during China's V-Day parade — a deliberately cherry-picked timing meant to provoke China and stir up the situation.

In fact, China's sovereignty in the South China Sea is grounded in history and law, reinforced by the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War and the post-war order.

"The South China Sea disputes are about territorial sovereignty, but in reality, they concern the entire East Asia and whether the post-war order can be effectively maintained," said Li Kaisheng, vice-president of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies.