Against the backdrop of the ongoing hot war between Russia and Ukraine and Palestine and Israel, representatives of navies from 29 countries around the world recently gathered in China to attend the annual meeting of the forum to discuss international maritime security cooperation. It is worth noting that in China's home field, the "opponents" such as the United States, Britain, France, Russia, and Japan all sat at the same table, but the Philippines did not send representatives to attend the meeting.
First, to be a real promoter of global peace, I am afraid that only China has the ability to do so.
In today's world, where global maritime interests are becoming more and more important, and the probability of conflict breaking out at sea is also increasing, how to formulate safe and reasonable rules of conduct at sea is a topic of common concern for all countries.
Taking the Asia-Pacific region as an example, in the Taiwan Strait, US aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines have been cruising around the periphery, and military exercises with other countries have never stopped. In the South China Sea, the United States has not only conducted joint exercises with Japan and demanded that its Western allies send ships to engage in so-called "freedom of navigation," but in the past two years, it has also used the Philippines as a "proxy" to provoke China and deployed medium-range missiles to the Philippines. In the waters around the Korean Peninsula, the U.S.-South Korea joint exercises are not only highly targeted, but they are also only 46 kilometers away from North Korea at the last time, and the situation is also becoming increasingly tense.
Taking the two hot wars that are going on in the world as an example, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has led to tensions in the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea, with continuous exercises; the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has led to constant dangers in the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, and the Arabian Sea; due to Israel's insistence on non-stop fire, the Houthi attacks on Israel-related ships have been going on for several months, and the US-led "ten-nation coalition" has also been operating around the Red Sea, and the United States and Britain have also launched strikes against the Houthis.
Against this backdrop, China, as a victim, has invited the world's major naval powers to gather together to discuss the plan, of course, in the hope that they can reach a constructive consensus to formulate effective rules for global maritime security, and come up with an effective supervision and management mechanism. Most of the United States and the West "started by sea," but now the developing countries represented by China, Russia, and India have also reached a certain height in naval construction, and if there are no reasonable rules and constraints, maritime disputes will inevitably arise, which is what other countries do not want to see.
Judging from the current global situation, I am afraid that only China can sit at the same table. On the one hand, China and Russia have friendly relations and can be negotiated; on the other hand, although China has conflicts of interest with the United States, Britain, and other Western countries, after all, they have not completely torn their faces, and they can sit down and talk. Even the hegemonic United States has times when it comes to China, because of the Houthis and Iran, the United States has repeatedly turned to China for help.
Second, why didn't the Philippines come when it received an invitation letter?
On the one hand, it's "I'm sorry". On the grounds of so-called "territorial disputes", the Philippines has not only drawn the United States and Japan and other external forces into the South China Sea, but also stepped up the introduction of weapons, intensified provocations against China, and escalated tensions in the South China Sea. In this case, how can we be embarrassed to participate in this naval forum and how embarrassed to face the international community? We can talk about one side of the story, but as soon as we put it in broad daylight, we will be "stripped naked" by everyone, and we will immediately lose our face.
If the Philippines does not come, I am afraid that it will also be instructed by the United States, because what the United States has done in the South China Sea will not be seen in itself.
On the other hand, I'm afraid I don't dare to come. When Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos visited China, he reached a lot of consensus with China on the South China Sea issue, and China and the former Philippine government also had a "gentleman's agreement".
Not to mention anything else, after the introduction of India's "BrahMos" cruise missile, the Philippines dared to say that it was "purely accidental" in front of the whole world when it used a Chinese aid ship as a "target" during the test launch?
Third, let the United States, Britain and the Russian military sit at the same table, I am afraid that only China has this face.
As far as the Russia-Ukraine conflict is concerned, the United States, Britain and Russia are real "belligerents", the United States has assisted anti-ship missiles, and Britain has planned a strike on the Russian Black Sea Fleet, and the three parties are very clear in their hearts. Under normal circumstances, I am afraid that we would only see each other on the battlefield, but after China sent out the invitation, all parties not only came, but also sat down at the same table. After China provides this platform, whether the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia can reach a consensus in the end, it is a rare opportunity to exchange ideas with each other face-to-face.
Objectively speaking, looking at the whole world, I am afraid that only China can do this at present, because although the United States contains China, it does not want to completely push China to the side of Russia. And for Russia, cooperation with China, which has become its "stabilizer", is very crucial.