The Philippines tries to win the information war against an increasingly aggressive China in the South China Sea.

Welcome to VOA Asia Weekly. I'm Chris Casquejo in Washington. That story is coming up, but first, making headlines:

A furnace explosion at a Chinese-owned nickel plant in Indonesia this Sunday killed at least 18 people and injured 46 others. Four Chinese and nine Indonesian workers died instantly when the furnace exploded while they were repairing it. Five others died later while hospitalized. This marks the third deadly incident this year at Chinese-owned nickel smelting plants in Indonesia.

On Wednesday, Japan’s nuclear power regulator lifted an operational ban at the world’s largest nuclear power plant complex. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, the operator behind the Fukushima disaster in 2011, owns the plant on the north coast of Japan. But the company needs approval from local residents before the plant can re-open.

Around 200 college students in Indonesia rallied on Wednesday, demanding that the government remove Rohingya refugees. The protesters marched to a local community hall in Banda Aceh, where about 137 Rohingya are taking shelter. The demonstrators threw out clothes and household items belonging to the refugees, forcing authorities to relocate them to another shelter.

South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, known for his role in the Oscar-winning film ‘Parasite,’ was found dead in a car Wednesday. The cause of death is ‘presumed to be suicide,’ according to Seoul police. Lee had been under police investigation that he used illegal drugs, but claimed he was tricked into using them.

North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, held a meeting Wednedsay with top ruling party officials. During the opening speech, Kim defined 2023 as ‘a year of great turn and great change, both in name and reality,’ following the launch of its first military spy satellite in November.

During the last year, China has intensified its harassment of much smaller Philippine vessels in disputed parts of the South China Sea. To level the playing field, the Philippines is turning to information warfare, as VOA’s Bill Gallo reports from Manila.

A David vs. Goliath story, just off the Philippine coast.

Tiny Philippines boats are being rammed by much larger Chinese ships which now fire water cannons at Philippines vessels on a regular basis.

China has the clear military edge, as it pushes its claims in the disputed South China Sea.

But the Philippines has what they see as a big advantage: a better narrative, according to Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine coast guard.

“It’s like overkill for a superpower like China.”

Tarriela is part of a Philippine government task force that has started using information as a weapon against China.

Not only does the government release videos of China’s behavior. It goes out looking for them in increasingly sophisticated ways.

Overhead, drones expose swarms of Chinese ships. Underwater cameras record Philippine coast guard divers cutting Chinese barriers.

And the coast guard now takes boatloads of Philippine journalists to witness China's harassment firsthand.

Bianca Dava is a Manila-based defense reporter. She says journalists did not have this kind of access under previous governments, which played down tensions at sea.

“With reporters now being on the ground there in the West Philippine Sea personally, I think that increased the interest of the people in this kind of issue.”

Chinese harassment is now a hot topic in local media.

The Philippines has also received more support from like-minded neighbors.

That is a big change from the past, when Manila sought closer ties with Beijing.

“We want freedom of navigation. We want a free and open Indo-Pacific and a rules-based international order.”

Those concepts are now more relatable, says Jonathan Malaya of the National Security Council.

“These are complex issues that are not near the gut.”

But bad PR alone may not be enough to deter China.

It has become more aggressive, swarming contested areas with larger numbers of ships, raising the question of what else can be done to level the playing field.

Bill Gallo, VOA News, Manila, the Philippines.

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I’m Chris Casquejo.

And now, we take you to China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

Local herdsmen dressed in colorful Mongolian robes performed the ‘Subject Three’ dance that’s swept across social media worldwide. Dancers showcase moves such as swinging their knees sideways coupled with a series of hand actions.

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