Text: Qihan Round Table School
Editor|Qihan Round Table School
Preface
Since April 7, the results of the four-nation fleet exercise in the South China Sea have been laughable and generous, but despite the fact that the maritime friction between China and the Philippines has further escalated, Marcos Jr. intends to arm the fishermen who are trying to make a living in the South China Sea against the backdrop of the rising South China Sea issue.
Filipino fishermen, who were originally seen as beneficiaries of peace in the South China Sea, have become an important player in the confrontation between China and the Philippines because of Marcos Jr.'s words.
Filipino fishermen rely on this rich sea area for their livelihood and enjoy the harmonious and stable fishery resources of the South China Sea, but in the face of national interests and personal survival choices, they choose the former to bravely stand up and be willing to unite with China.
The situation in the South China Sea has become more tense
On April 7, the United States, the Philippines, Japan and Australia staged a joint military exercise in the South China Sea, but the four countries did not expect that the four countries made a loud voice and sent only a few antique ships that were about to retire, and China would not sit idly by for such a naked provocation, and China's South China Sea fleet conducted large-scale military exercises in the South China Sea aimed directly at the military exercises of the four countries.
Faced with repeated attempts in the face by China and unrepentant, Marcos came up with an absurd countermeasure – to turn fishermen into "maritime militias" to counter China's power in the South China Sea, but such a plan began to emerge in August last year.
The proposal by Brawner, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, hopes to include fishermen in the "reserve" to assist them in defending national interests in the South China Sea.
Subsequently, whenever the Marcos government sent ships to Scarborough Shoal to provoke, while trying to force its way into Scarborough Shoal, it would see a large number of ordinary fishing boats in addition to Philippine sea tamers, so it seems that the Marcos government really intends to push innocent fishermen to the front line.
On April 9, the Philippine government once again stirred up anti-China sentiment in the country, and the Philippine ambassador to the United States announced in a high-profile manner that a protest with the theme of China's aggression in the South China Sea broke out outside the Chinese embassy in Manila, claiming that the Filipino people's patience with China had reached the limit.
As soon as this statement came out, everyone knew that this was just another political show with ulterior motives by the Marcos administration, but in this farce, it was the local fishermen who made a living from the sea who were really hurt.
It can be seen that the Marcos government has also put a lot of effort into propaganda, deliberately encouraging these fishermen who had lived a peaceful life to take up guns and use vulnerable groups as pawns to pay for their political ambitions, which is tantamount to taking advantage of the fire to rob.
Filipino fishermen have struggled to earn a living at sea to feed their families, but now they have fallen victim to political struggles.
Now that the Marcos administration has put a lot of effort into propaganda and cleverly concealed its wolf ambitions to make it difficult for the public to distinguish between right and wrong, do those deceived Filipino fishermen really want to become maritime militias?
The Global Times reporter went to the so-called stronghold of the Chinese Philippines in the town of Masinloc, which is only 125 nautical miles from Scarborough Shoal, where most of the fishermen live on the surrounding waters.
During the interview, this reporter was surprised to find that they had no interest in the plan of the so-called "maritime militia" at all, and that the eyes of these peoples living on the sea were not burning with the flames of war, but were full of longing for a peaceful life and yearning for harmonious coexistence in China.
The fisherman even made it clear to reporters, claiming that they were not enemies of China, and generously shared their fishing experience at Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, and when he talked about his past memories, he couldn't help but praise the Chinese fishermen and the Chinese coast guard, saying that they were very friendly and cared about their safety when fishing.
Not only that, but in the course of the interviews, the fishermen all said that the Chinese coast guard did nothing to harm them, so after seeing the Marcos administration's statement, they did not understand why they did it, and some even complained that because of the tensions in the South China Sea, their income has been reduced.
However, in the propaganda of the Philippine government, the reaction of the Filipino masses on the South China Sea issue has been great, and some radicals have even rushed to the front line of the South China Sea, but now it seems that this is not the case.
This pragmatic mentality of local Filipino fishermen stands in stark contrast to the politicians who fanned the flames in the Philippine media by the politicians who fanned the flames on the screen.
Filipino fishermen are not cannon fodder for the military power in the mouths of Philippine politicians, they want to live a real life, fishing operations at sea safely and steadily, and the Chinese coast guard is not a threat to them as rumored, they are just forced to side with the government under the public opinion of the Marcos government.
The Philippine high-level officials, represented by Marcos, are the biggest enemies of these fishermen in order to pursue their own political interests and completely ignore the plight of ordinary fishermen.
Even in the current period of frequent maritime conflicts between China and the Philippines, the Chinese Coast Guard has not restricted the fishing behavior of Filipino fishermen, and has always maintained a friendly attitude towards civilians.
The long-standing dispute in the South China Sea has greatly affected the Philippine fishing industry, leaving fishermen in a difficult situation, and it is not surprising that they should take a current attitude in the face of growing tensions in the South China Sea.
Information sources: 1. Global Network - Global Times reporters visited many cities in the Philippines, and the most heard sentence was: "We and China are not enemies"
2. Phoenix.com - China and the Philippines escalate disputes in the South China Sea, Filipino fishermen: China is not an enemy
3. Global Network - The farce of anti-China demonstrations in the Philippines is over Expert: The demonstrations have a government background
4. Global Network - Global Times reporters investigate the Philippine "armed fishermen" plan