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Preface
Since 1999, the Philippine Navy has deliberately stranded a decommissioned U.S. World War II vessel, the Sierra Madre, at Ren'ai Shoal in China, in an illegal attempt to occupy China's territory. In the 25 years since, the Philippines has not only not towed the wrecked ship, but has strengthened it and turned it into a military stronghold. In the face of such a provocation, is China at its wit's end? Do we really have no other means? Let's take a look at it with you.
As an important maritime area for China, the South China Sea not only has the advantage of strategic location, but also serves as a key barrier for the country's coastal defense. As China continues to advance its maritime power strategy, the South China Sea's geographical and resource advantages make it a regional center of gravity.
Geopolitical shifts in recent years have drawn the attention of neighboring countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia, which have sought to challenge China's traditional rights and interests in the region by unilaterally setting territorial sea boundaries. The South China Sea has become the focus of international disputes mainly because of its enormous economic value. The seabed in the region is rich in mineral resources, including oil and gas resources estimated to exceed 20 billion tons of oil equivalent, and natural gas resources are as high as 40 trillion cubic meters, accounting for 12% of the world's total reserves.
The presence of these resources not only makes the South China Sea a key area for the global energy market, but also a strategic conduit connecting the Indian and Pacific Oceans. This unique geographical positioning makes it an irreplaceable position in global shipping and energy transmission.
Against the backdrop of global energy supply tensions, countries are paying more attention to the strategic value and resource potential of the South China Sea. In today's growing demand for energy, these resources in the South China Sea have become extremely valuable, and countries have increased their attention and competition for the region in order to ensure their own energy security and economic development.
On May 9, 1999, taking advantage of the fact that the Chinese Navy did not yet have full control of the Spratly Islands, the Philippine Navy took a bold action. They sent an old and retired American ship that had survived World War II, the landing ship "Sierra Madre", to sail directly to China's Ren'ai Jiao.
The Philippine side claimed that because the ship's "hull leaked and it could not sail safely", it had to deliberately run aground on Ren'ai Jiao. With a total length of 164 meters and a displacement of 4,000 tons, the ship has been in service for 55 years, and its actual seafaring ability has been lost, and it is essentially a scrapped ship.
The move is clearly a doomsday move by the Philippine Navy to take advantage of the old ship in an attempt to leave its own military imprint on strategic points. The location of Second Thomas Shoal is of great strategic importance to the Spratly Islands, and the Philippines is undoubtedly trying to establish a de facto military presence in the area, even though the ships used are of little practical military use.
Second Thomas Shoal, a key position in the South China Sea, has long been at the heart of a sovereignty dispute between China and the Philippines. According to historical records, this island and reef have been part of the city of Sansha in Hainan Province of China since ancient times. Chinese fishermen have been fishing in the area since the Western Han Dynasty and have established deep ties with the islands, demonstrating China's long-term activities and management of the area.
Historically, the ownership of Ren'ai Jiao and Nansha Islands has been confirmed and named by many dynasties. During the Tang Dynasty, these islands were considered part of Chinese territory and were called "Qianli Changsha" and "Wanli Shitang", reflecting China's control and governance of these islands. Zheng He, a navigator of the Maritime Silk Road in the Ming Dynasty, also passed through the Nansha Islands many times, further verifying China's activities in this area.
Especially during the Ming Dynasty, the Xisha and Nansha Islands had been included in the administrative divisions of China and came under the jurisdiction of Wanzhou. This administrative arrangement further strengthens China's claims to the islands. In 1983, the Chinese government officially named the reef "Ren'ai Jiao", which was not only an important symbol of the management of the area, but also a reaffirmation of China's sovereignty.
China's deep ties with Second Thomas Jiao and its surrounding waters stem not only from geography and history, but also from rich cultural exchanges and economic activities. These islands are important to China's maritime rights, not only because of their abundant natural resources, but also because of their geostrategic location, which controls the sea arteries connecting the Indian and Pacific Oceans. However, the Philippines said that it had put forward a claim to Ren'ai Jiao based on geopolitical considerations and tried to make it part of the western coast of the Philippines.
The Philippines plans to build a military base on an abandoned ship on an island on Chinese territory in an attempt to expand its influence in the region. Such an approach would not only involve significant time and cost commitments, but would also be more likely to seriously undermine diplomatic relations between China and the Philippines and have adverse consequences for the Philippines itself.
As the Philippines' main trading partner and largest source of imports, China has in-depth economic cooperation with the Philippines in various fields such as infrastructure, energy, agriculture and tourism. These partnerships have provided critical support for economic growth and social development in the Philippines. If the Philippines' confrontational behavior affects economic cooperation with China, it will undoubtedly have a serious negative impact on its national development.
The Philippines relies on U.S. support to strengthen its international standing, but historically, the U.S. has often prioritized its own interests at critical moments and has not necessarily been able to provide sustained support. After the 2016 South China Sea arbitration, although the United States sent an aircraft carrier group to support the Philippines and seemed to side with the Philippines, when tensions reached its peak, the United States quickly retreated due to its own risks, leaving the Philippines powerless in the face of a strong enemy.
The Philippine landing ship on Ren'ai Jiao is like a "dog skin plaster" that is difficult to peel off, and has been stuck here for 24 years, accumulating more than 8,800 days. Many people have a common desire in their hearts to have this foreign body removed. However, from a practical point of view, this aging ship can no longer be simply "towed away".
The entire structure of the landing ship is clinging to the reef, not just the bow. Typical methods of dealing with large vessel grounding include waiting for the high tide to partially or completely lift the hull, or taking additional measures such as increasing buoyancy assistance or digging the seabed when self-floating is not possible. However, none of these methods were feasible for the Philippine landing ship stranded at Second Thomas Shoal.
Initially, the ship was driven to the reef at high speed, and this type of operation is usually only used when the vessel is ready to be scrapped. Although the tank landing ship was originally designed to be used for beaching and grounding to carry out rapid landing, this time it was clearly for the purpose of permanent retention. At high tide, the water around Second Thomas Shoal is only a few metres deep, far enough to lift a large ship. As a result, the hull is deep in the reef and cannot be used by conventional tugboats.
Over the past 20 years, the Philippines has carried out a large number of structural reinforcements on the landing ship, continuously transporting steel bars, cement and other building materials, so that the bottom of the ship and the reef are almost integrated. The ship has now been transformed into a sea fortress rather than a mere ship.
Moreover, as a result of our strict supply blockade of Second Thomas Shoal, the Philippine Army forces were under tremendous pressure to maintain regular activities in the area, and were forced to decide to withdraw their officers and men stationed on landing ships and eventually abandon their illegal occupation of Second Thomas Shoal.
Faced with ongoing shortages and mounting international pressure, the Philippine military had no choice but to evacuate personnel from the reef. Subsequently, the mainland quickly dispatched a maritime team to conduct a thorough cleaning and inspection of the landing ship, which lasted several days to ensure that there was no equipment or supplies left on board that could be used to launch another occupation.
After the clean-up, we have taken a series of enhanced measures, including increased patrols and surveillance of the reef and its surrounding waters, to ensure that similar violations do not occur in the area. In addition, the mainland government is also actively conducting diplomatic consultations with neighboring countries and making joint efforts to maintain security and stability in the maritime area.
These measures demonstrate the mainland's firm determination to safeguard national sovereignty and interests, and at the same time make it clear to the international community that we are resolutely defending our territorial integrity and are willing to take all necessary measures to defend against any form of foreign aggression. This not only strengthens our position in the region, but also strengthens the country's security and defense capabilities.
Since the outbreak of the South China Sea dispute in 2016, China has made a deliberate approach to the security and territorial integrity of its territorial waters. Despite the fact that a Philippine warship ran aground at Second Thomas Shoal 20 years ago, and ignored the mainland's repeated warnings and demands, our position and countermeasures have always been clear and firm.
When the Philippines tried to co-opt the United States to strengthen its position in the South China Sea a decade ago, things didn't go the way it intended. The initial support of the United States, but its eventual failure to provide practical help to the Philippines, has made the Philippines more cautious in its actions in the South China Sea and has begun to rely more on the rulings of international tribunals rather than unilateral actions.
In the current international situation, China does not need to stress too much that the Philippines must remove its stranded ships. On the contrary, this incident provides an opportunity to demonstrate China's calm and strategic thinking. Through this incident, China was not only able to win support in international public opinion, but also was able to skillfully use the stranded ship as a trigger point to strengthen the mainland's construction of islands and reefs in the South China Sea.
China now has the technological and economic power to support its reclamation plans in the South China Sea. The plan will not be limited to environmental and development purposes, but will also enhance the region's military defense capabilities. The development of Second Thomas Shoal into an advanced maritime defense base will further consolidate China's sovereignty and security in the region.
Through strategic patience, China can use the warship as a diplomatic bargaining chip, using its presence against any potential military threat if necessary. Such a strategy would not only avoid direct military conflict, but could also bring unexpected diplomatic benefits, providing China with more room for maneuver and strategic advantage.
In addition, China's assertiveness and strategic restraint in handling the matter will further enhance the international community's perception of China's image as a responsible major country. In multilateral international arenas such as the United Nations, Chinese delegates can use this event to strengthen their understanding and support for China's role in international law and global governance.
The application of China's strategy and decision-making in the Ren'ai Jiao incident will be a sharp blade against those forces with bad intentions. China's choices and actions will not be limited to responding to the current situation, but will also lay the groundwork for possible future challenges and ensure that China's influence and dominance in international affairs are maintained in the long term.
References:
(1) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs refuted the remarks of Philippine officials with "three violations": immediately stop infringing and provoking and return to the right path - China Youth Daily
(2) Ministry of Foreign Affairs: The Philippine side does not say a word about the illegal occupation and encroachment on the territory of China's Nansha Islands, which is the real propaganda "trap" - Huanqiu.com