#文章首发挑战赛#
Recently, a confrontation between China and the Philippines at Ren'ai Jiao in the South China Sea has attracted widespread attention from the international community. For a time, international public opinion exploded, and all kinds of voices came one after another. We have seen that in this case, the China Coast Guard has taken a responsible attitude to safeguard national sovereignty, while the United States and the Philippines have sowed discord and muddied the waters.
1. The beginning and end of the Ren'ai Jiao incident
Ren'ai Jiao, a small coral reef on the southwestern side of the Spratly Islands with an area of only 0.74 square kilometers, is an important focus of the dispute between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, China enjoys indisputable sovereignty over Ren'ai Jiao as part of China's inherent territory. However, since March 1999, the Philippine Navy has sent a warship called an "anchor ship" (should be a "beached ship") to illegally occupy Second Thomas Shoal, which has been around for 24 years.
In March 1999, Colonel Angelico (role added), then Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, led a group of Navy officers and sailors aboard two coast guard vessels to illegally enter the waters off Second Thomas Shoal. They forcibly erected placards on the reef and ran an old landing carrier aground and "beached". Although the Philippine government promised the Chinese government at the time that it would tow the warship away after a typhoon season, not only does the ship still stand majestically on the reef today, but the Philippine side has been planning to strengthen its illegal occupation of Second Thomas Shoal.
At the beginning of this month, the Philippine Navy, under the protection of police ships going to sea and a number of supply vessels, delivered a large amount of concrete, steel and other building materials to the "beached" warship at Ren'ai Jiao, preparing to repair and strengthen the warship in order to achieve permanent occupation of Ren'ai Jiao. What is even more surprising is that the commander of this operation turned out to be Colonel Angelico himself, who led a warship to forcibly "beach" Ren'ai Jiao 24 years ago, and has now been promoted to commander of the Philippine Navy's fleet.
In the face of the provocative actions of the Philippine side, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense lodged solemn representations and warnings to the Philippine side. But the Philippines insisted on sending ships to deliver building materials to Second Thomas Shoal. In order to defend national sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, the China Coast Guard dispatched a number of coast guard vessels to the scene to resolutely stop the illegal intrusion of Philippine vessels.
"Your actions have seriously violated international law and the Declaration on the Conduct of All Parties, and I solemnly warn you once again to stop the ship and leave immediately, otherwise we will take coercive measures!" Zhao Xiaodong, commander of the Chinese Coast Guard, who was in command at the scene, warned the Philippine vessel continuously through a loudspeaker.
2. The China Coast Guard's legitimate law enforcement actions
After repeated warnings failed, Chinese coast guard vessels began to intercept, isolate and monitor Philippine vessels. Philippine Navy Commander Angelico saw that his fleet was under close surveillance, and angrily ordered his men to move on. In order to avoid a collision, the Chinese coast guard sprayed high-pressure water cannons at the Philippine ship from a safe distance to warn them.
The China Coast Guard acted professionally and restrainedly, and carried out rights protection and law enforcement in full accordance with the Coast Guard Law of the People's Republic of China and other laws and regulations. Subsequently, the coast guard also took the initiative to contact the Philippine Navy's senior management through various channels, expressed its willingness to resolve the dispute, and put forward suggestions on management measures agreed by the two sides to jointly prevent risks. This fully demonstrates that the China Coast Guard adheres to the principle of maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea to the greatest extent possible and responds to provocations from all parties in a rational and professional manner.
3. The United States and the Philippines are stirring up trouble behind the scenes
In this incident, the United States and the Philippines played a role in fueling the flames. For example, on the one hand, the United States has publicly expressed its support for the Philippines' action, and on the other hand, it has instructed its naval and air forces in the Asia-Pacific region to follow up and monitor the whole process and be ready to intervene at any time.
Then-Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, with the instigation and support of the United States, intensified his efforts on the South China Sea issue. He has made a series of statements declaring that he is "waging war" against China and insisting on initiating so-called "jurisdictional arbitration" with the International Court of Arbitration. The Philippines has also signed a military agreement with the United States, procured weapons and equipment on a large scale, and is preparing to "demonstrate" against China in the South China Sea.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly and solemnly refuted all kinds of lies made by the US in relation to the South China Sea, and pointed out that the United States is not a party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and is not a party to the South China Sea dispute, and has no right to point fingers. China urges the US to abide by the principle of not taking sides, not to blow the whistle and act as a "referee" in the South China Sea dispute, let alone to create trouble or cause trouble.
Fourth, justice will triumph over illegality
At the heart of this Ren'ai Jiao incident is a contest between justice and illegality. China's indisputable sovereignty over Ren'ai Jiao is a fact that no country can deny. This act by the Philippines is a grave violation in total violation of international law and the Declaration on the Conduct of the Parties.
In the face of the domineering Philippine army, the Chinese coast guard has carried out rights protection and law enforcement in a rational and professional manner, reflecting the demeanor of a great country. The China Coast Guard immediately issued a warning to the Philippine side and took the initiative to express its willingness to jointly prevent risks through peaceful control, demonstrating its intention to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea to the greatest extent.
In contrast, the United States and the Philippines were the ones who caused the trouble. The United States is pointing fingers and creating disputes, while the Philippines is backtracking and treacherous. What they have done has not only seriously damaged China-Philippines relations, but also run counter to the international community's general expectation of maintaining peace in the South China Sea.
Therefore, the core of this incident is a contest between justice and illegality, and a confrontation between safeguarding sovereignty and violating sovereignty. In this game, China has been justified in its actions, which have been widely recognized by the international community. I believe that the forces of justice will eventually triumph over illegality, and China's sovereignty and territorial integrity will certainly be defended.
Let's take a look at what netizens have to say about this matter:
Some netizens said:
Adjacent to Hainan Island in China and Palawan Island in the Philippines, the geographical location is extremely important.
The purpose of forcibly occupying Ren'ai Jiao for so many years is to open up the first island chain and cut off China's choke point in and out of the Pacific Ocean. This time, the Chinese Coast Guard decisively took action to stop the Philippine military from reinforcing its facilities, reflecting the responsibility of a major country and safeguarding sovereignty.
Some netizens also said:
The United States and the Philippines have joined forces to provoke occupation in the South China Sea, which is nothing new. This is the righteous force of two rogue groups colluding together to bully China. Fortunately, our Chinese coast guard fought beautifully and disciplined these robbers with the faucet of the coast guard ship, which is so relieving!
Some netizens said:
The rights and interests of China, the United States and the Philippines in the South China Sea are essentially based on maximizing their own interests. The use of water cannons by Chinese coast guard ships to warn them before the situation escalated was a very clever and humane choice. This leaves room for all parties and demonstrates to the world China's goodwill in settling disputes through negotiations.
To sum up, the Ren'ai Jiao incident fully reflects China's rational, professional and responsible demeanor as a major country. The China Coast Guard's actions to defend its rights are fully legitimate, and its purpose is to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea and safeguard the common interests of all countries in the region. The United States and the Philippines, by contrast, are very narrow-minded, doing nothing more than maximizing their own national interests, but at the expense of the common interests of regional countries.
Therefore, we call on the United States and the Philippines to stop their provocative acts in the South China Sea as soon as possible and return to the right track of peaceful settlement of disputes. China will also continue to strive for win-win symbiosis, cooperation and shared benefits with its neighboring countries through negotiation and consultation. We believe that as long as all parties act in good faith, peace will be restored in the South China Sea and all countries will prosper together.
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