The 19th Annual Meeting of the Western Pacific Naval Forum hosted by China was held as scheduled, attended by high-level delegations from 29 countries, and the Philippines was absent as a member state.
On the 22nd, the annual meeting of the Western Pacific Naval Forum opened in Qingdao, Shandong, and the Philippines received an invitation from the Chinese side, but for some reason, it did not send a single person to participate. This year's "Shoulder to Shoulder" campaign is billed as the largest in 40 years, with 14 observer states in addition to the United States and the Philippines, including Australia and France with small contingents participating for the first time. As many as 16,000 soldiers participated in the exercise, and the US military alone dispatched 11,000 soldiers, giving the Philippines a sense of face and security.
The Philippines attaches great importance to this, not only setting the location of the exercise outside Philippine territorial waters for the first time, but also setting a Chinese-made Philippine frigate as the target of the exercise, simulating scenarios such as "sinking enemy ships" and "recapturing islands occupied by hostile forces". The Philippine side has not made any secret of its targeted and provocative efforts against China, nor has it shied away from coveting China-owned islands and reefs in the South China Sea, such as Ren'ai Jiao.
In his presence, Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, shouted to the Philippines in his speech at the opening ceremony, saying that China has always insisted on settling maritime disputes through friendly consultations with the countries directly concerned, but will properly defend its rights in accordance with the law and resolutely counter unreasonable provocations. China does not cause trouble, but it is also not afraid of it.
Zhang Youxia also mentioned that "good faith will not be allowed to be abused", which is a new wording that China has only highlighted this year. The "goodwill" here refers to the consensus reached between China and the Philippines in 1999. In that year, the Philippines sent the warship "Sierra Madre" to illegally "beach" at Ren'ai Jiao, and the Chinese side immediately lodged representations with the Philippine side, and the Philippine side promised to tow the warship away as soon as it was repaired.
Twenty-five years later, the Philippines has not only failed to fulfill its original commitments, but has also secretly transported illegal construction materials in an attempt to strengthen the "beached" warship and turn it into a permanent facility, so as to achieve its wishful thinking of illegally and permanently occupying Ren'ai Jiao. If China's goodwill is used as a sharp knife to stab itself, then it is better to withdraw it.
Some time ago, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos had a thorough showdown with China on the issue of "beached" warships, and Marcos made a statement that he would never allow anyone to remove the broken ship and would never compromise with China, and reached a consensus on the US side sending troops to the South China Sea and the US side. Not only that, but the Philippine side also tore up the "gentlemen's agreement" reached between the previous government and China in public. The Philippines can no longer afford perfidious criticism and a growing reputation.
The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines has put forward two demands to the Philippine side a few days ago: to tow away the ship as soon as possible and restore the original state of Ren'ai Jiao as if there are no people and no facilities; before towing away the broken ship, if it is necessary to transport the ship without urgency, it is necessary to notify the Chinese side first, and after being verified by the Chinese side on the spot, it will be carried out under the full supervision of the Chinese side. If the Philippine side insists on violating its commitments, China will take resolute measures.
As long as the Philippines can return to the path of dialogue and consultation, correctly view and handle the Ren'ai Jiao issue, and respond to China's goodwill with concrete actions, peace will return to peace in the South China Sea and friendly relations between China and the Philippines can survive. The Philippines is facing a seemingly either-or issue, but in fact, the rise and fall of the Philippines, peace and stability in the South China Sea, and even the security situation in the entire Asian situation are all tied to it.