The last time Philippine military and police personnel broke a ship to resupply the reef, they were so embarrassed by the Chinese coast guard's water cannons that they had to fly a white flag and beg for mercy. Such a performance by the Philippine side has obviously made the United States very dissatisfied. Therefore, the United States rallied France, Japan, and Australia to jointly form a "supervisory team" to force the Philippine side to continue to rush through Ren'ai Jiao under the pretext of holding a so-called joint maritime exercise, almost like holding a gun to the back of the Philippine side.
The Philippines has been very "active" in the South China Sea in the past two days, in addition to attempting to illegally land on the Wire Reef and encroach on Chinese territory, it has also dispatched official ships at Ren'ai Jiao in an attempt to transport construction materials to the beached broken ship, but the actions of both sides have been effectively blocked by the Chinese Coast Guard. At Second Thomas Shoal, Chinese coast guard ships used water cannons to intercept the Philippine boat Yunaza May 4, which was responsible for transporting construction materials. Video posted online shows that the boat was so embarrassed by the Chinese coast guard's water cannons that it had to fly a white flag and beg for mercy when the doors, windows, and glass were all damaged in the reach of the water cannons.
The Philippine Coast Guard also released a video taken in the cabin of the boat, only to see our water cannon shooting at the ship like a monstrous wave, and the Filipino personnel in the cabin fled in all directions. Later, the Philippine side claimed that three people were injured on board the boat and that the hull had also suffered serious damage. In fact, the boat had forcibly entered Second Thomas Shoal about three weeks earlier, and was also "cared for" by our coast guard's water cannons, and Alberto Carlos, commander of the Western Philippine Military Region who was on board at the time, was also injured in his finger.
This incident once again shows that China's firm determination and will to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity are unshakable. No matter who is standing behind the Philippines, if they dare to attack, we will tell them to kick to the iron plate.
(Under the "care" of the water cannon of the Chinese coast guard ship, the Philippine boat "Yunaza May 4" flew the white flag)
In the face of the performance of the Philippines in pulling its hips this time, the United States, which was pouting in the back, was obviously very dissatisfied. The latest news is that on the one hand, the United States is rallying its "allies" to condemn China, and on the other hand, it intends to form a "supervisory team" with France, Japan, and Australia, which will force the Philippine side to continue to storm Ren'ai Jiao under the pretext of holding so-called joint maritime exercises, almost like holding a gun to the back of the Philippine side.
Recently, the diplomatic departments of the United States, the European Union and Japan have all spoken out, accusing the Chinese coast guard of "dangerous" and "violating international law", and the Philippine side has also cried that the Philippines was attacked by the Chinese coast guard's water cannons just to carry out routine rotation and replenishment tasks for the broken ship at Ren'ai Jiao. But the Philippines is lying: The mainland has been abiding by an agreement with the previous Philippine government in the waters off Second Thomas Shoal, allowing ships carrying basic necessities such as food and water to resupply, but prohibiting ships carrying construction supplies from approaching, even this time. It was the Philippine side that violated the agreement first. China's Ministry of National Defense refuted the statements made by the United States, Europe, Japan, and the Philippines.
("Stills" from the 2019 US-Philippines "shoulder to shoulder" joint military exercise)
They certainly won't rest on their laurels. Just in early April, the United States and the Philippines will hold the 39th Shoulder to Shoulder Joint Military Exercise, which will involve French, Japanese and Australian militaries. The "shoulder-to-shoulder" military exercise has been held since the 80s of the last century, and is held once a year with a variety of contents, including not only naval exercises, but also army, air force, and coast guard exercises. The early Shoulder-to-Shoulder exercises focused on training the Philippine military to help the Philippine military dismantle rebels and terrorist groups that have long been entrenched in the southern islands of the Philippines. But since a few years ago, the content of the exercises has gradually transitioned to confrontation with China.
The 2023 Shoulder to Shoulder exercise is the largest in the history of the United States and the Philippines, with a total of 17,600 participants, including nearly 12,000 U.S. troops, more than 5,000 Filipino troops and about 100 Australian soldiers. In the 2023 "Shoulder to Shoulder" exercise, the Philippines also used the "Hipmars" rocket launcher purchased from the United States for the first time and participated in the shooting of target ships, but it was reported that the first few launches of the "Hipmars" rocket failed, which made Marcos Jr. who was watching the show a big shame.
This year's Shoulder to Shoulder exercise is likely to be even larger and will include training for the Philippine Coast Guard against Chinese Coast Guard vessels. To some extent, the United States has once again taken a dangerous step, from verbally supporting the Philippines to provoke China, to directly directing the Philippine side to carry out a "quasi-proxy war". Therefore, while resolutely stopping the Philippine provocation in the South China Sea, we also need to step up countermeasures against the US and cut off the source of Philippine adventurism.
Meanwhile, the USS Roosevelt has recently returned to the South China Sea after completing its call at Singapore's Changi Naval Base. It is very likely that the USS Roosevelt aircraft carrier battle group will also carry out some kind of provocation against our side in the South China Sea, and it is not ruled out that it will also participate in the "shoulder-to-shoulder" exercise. Therefore, our countermeasures against the US Navy will also become a major attraction in the coming period.
First of all, we must be confident that, judging from the past "fighting methods" between China and the United States in the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, and the South China Sea, as long as our side is tough enough, the US military will retreat, without exception. In terms of grand strategy, the United States does not have the will or preparation to directly clash with the PLA in China's periphery, so they will only push the Philippines to the fore as "cannon fodder." In the face of the absolute superiority of China's coast guard and navy, no matter how provocative the Philippines is, the result will always be the same: that is, defeat.