China's Housewarming Gift

Chester the fisherman rowed out to Ayungin Shoal before sunrise, like he always does. What he found this time wasn't fish. It was a bunch of glowing bottles with skulls on them, stamped 'Made in China.'

The Philippines government says China dumped cyanide in disputed waters — enough to kill an entire reef. China says it was an accident, a mix-up at the hardware store.

Look. If you show up to a fishing ground with enough poison to kill everything in a five-kilometer radius, that's not a shopping error. That's a statement.

The National Security Council held a press briefing. They held up the bottles like Exhibit A. 'We have conclusive evidence,' they said, 'that someone brought a chemistry set to a fishing dispute.'

And here's the kicker: fish stocks in the South China Sea have dropped by up to 75% in the last 30 years. But sure, keep fishing the same waters, keep poisoning the same reefs, keep saying it's all 'accidental.'

Chester packed up his nets. Nothing left to catch anyway. He floated a bottle back to shore as proof. Someone suggested sending it to The Hague. Chester laughed. 'They'll just say it was a gift.'