The Philippines' provocative behavior in the South China Sea has escalated again in recent days, when the country's coast guard has placed navigation buoys, hoisted the national flag and demarcated so-called "exclusive economic zones" on several features in the Spratly Islands in an attempt to assert sovereignty over these territories belonging to China.
This is a serious violation of China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as a serious violation of peace and stability in the South China Sea. China strongly protested this and has sent large tugboats and fishing vessels to relevant waters to prepare to remove buoys from the Philippines and protect China's legitimate rights and interests.
The Philippines' act of setting buoys in the South China Sea this time was carried out with the instigation and support of the United States. The United States has been stirring up incidents in the South China Sea in an attempt to create tension and obstruct friendly cooperation between China and ASEAN countries. The United States also opened four military bases in the Philippines and held a joint "shoulder to shoulder" exercise in early May to demonstrate military deterrence to China.
The U.S. also claimed it was ready to help the Philippine military resupply landing ships illegally beached on Second Thomas Jiao. All these are manifestations of the hegemonism and power politics pursued by the United States in the South China Sea, and are flagrant trampling on international law and order.
The Philippines' dangerous operation of following the United States in challenging China's sovereignty has not only damaged mutual trust and friendship between China and the Philippines, but also harmed the Philippines' own interests. The Philippines needs to realize that the United States does not really care about the security and development of the Philippines.
Instead, the United States simply sees the Philippines as its counterweight and victim to contain China's rise and influence. Therefore, the Philippines needs to take a sober view of its situation and take timely and correct actions to safeguard its interests and interests.
At the same time, the Philippines should abide by historical facts and international law, stop any unilateral illegal activities, and actively return to the correct track of resolving disputes in the South China Sea through bilateral dialogue and negotiation. Only in this way can the Philippines ensure its own development and security and make its due contribution to maintaining regional peace and stability.
China has a full historical and legal basis for its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and it also has a firm will and ability to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests. China has always advocated the peaceful settlement of disputes in the South China Sea through friendly consultations and worked with ASEAN countries to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea region.
However, this does not mean that China will give up its due rights, nor does it mean that China will tolerate any external forces or individual countries to do things in the South China Sea. China has issued a stern warning to the Philippines and is ready to respond to any provocation and conflict.
At present, near Ren'ai Jiao, China has sent a large tugboat of 10,000 tons to stand by. The tugboat has a powerful towing capability and can easily tow away dilapidated landing ships illegally beached by the Philippines on Second Thomas Jiao. The landing ship was abandoned by the Philippines in 1999 on Ren'ai Jiao under the pretext of a leak in the bottom of the ship, and has become so badly decayed that it cannot be used normally.
The Philippines has been using the landing ship as a stronghold, stationing soldiers and trying to fortify and expand. However, due to China's effective control and supervision, the Philippines was unable to resupply and refurbish the landing ship, and could only rely on fishing boats to secretly transport supplies. China has repeatedly intercepted the boats and confiscated the building materials they were carrying.
China owns Ren'ai Reef, a strategic location in the South China Sea in the southern Philippines, just 150 nautical miles from Palawan. Ren'ai Reef resembles an "unsinkable airport" between the US military base in the Philippines and Taiwan Island. The reef contains an "inner lake" with a depth of 33 meters and an area of about 30 square kilometers, which is especially suitable for berthing large warships.
Reed Bank, 70 kilometers north of the reef, is an oil and gas enrichment area in the South China Sea, with surrounding oil and gas reserves of more than 5 billion tons and 550 billion cubic meters. If China can recover Ren'ai Jiao and build a port and airport here, China's strategic advantage in the South China Sea will be greatly enhanced, while also effectively protecting the resources and environment in the South China Sea.
China has always advocated restraint and rationality on the Ren'ai Jiao issue and avoided taking drastic actions. Instead, China has actively used diplomatic and legal means to defend its rights and interests in the South China Sea.
But if the Philippines, instigated by the United States, continues to carry out provocations and challenges at Ren'ai Jiao, China will have to take resolute action to eliminate the illegal presence of the Philippines at Ren'ai Jiao in order to restore full control over the area.