All content in this article is based on official and reliable sources, and the specific information is detailed at the end of the article
Preface
The wrecked ship of the Sierra Madre has been lying on Second Thomas Reef for 25 years, and it is as disgusting as a dog's skin plaster!
Many people hope that the mainland will take action as soon as possible and dispose of this ship, whether it is towed away or blown up, in short, they do not want to see this broken ship again.
But as things stand, it's hard to tow the ship anymore.
More than 9,000 days and nights, if I could, the Sierra Madre would have been long gone.
The Philippines is taking advantage of the danger
On 8 May 1999, the mainland embassy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was bombed, and the people of the whole country were furious and demanded an explanation from the United States.
Unexpectedly, the day after the incident, the Philippines took advantage of the chaos to break into Ren'ai Jiao, and in order to achieve the goal of permanent occupation, the Philippines directly drove a ship to rush onto Ren'ai Jiao in a diving attitude, causing the Sierra Madre to run aground and unable to move.
However, the Philippines claimed that the bottom of the ship was leaking and that it had to be stranded in the waters of Ren'ai Jiao, but in fact, the Philippines was completely a conspiracy.
You must know that the Sierra Madre has been in service for 55 years from 1944 to 1999, during which it also participated in World War II and the Vietnam War, so it has long been dilapidated.
However, after it was decommissioned in 1970, the United States gave the ship to the Vietnamese Navy, and six years later it was transferred to the Philippines.
What else can this transport ship that is almost immobile provide to the military? Moreover, after the ship's hull hit the rocks, the Philippines also sent soldiers to garrison it in turn, so its true purpose can be said to be obvious.
However, it is an indisputable fact that the Philippines is part of China's inherent territory, and it has been the fishing ground of Chinese fishermen since ancient times.
Moreover, in 1935, the Republic of China named Ren'ai Jiao, in 1947 it was renamed Ren'ai Dark Sands, and in 1983, it was finally renamed Ren'ai Jiao, and these things were announced to the international community, and the Philippines had no objection at that time.
In 1988, the Chinese scientific expedition team drilled samples at Ren'ai Jiao
In 1999, the Philippines took advantage of the situation to enter the South China Sea by coveting the abundant resources in the waters of Ren'ai Jiao and vainly trying to use this as a foothold to continuously expand the scope of its actual control in the South China Sea.
After the Philippines illegally occupied Ren'ai Jiao, the mainland did not take force to recover it due to the inability of its naval strength at that time and the international situation, but repeatedly warned and negotiated, asking Fa Lu Bin to tow away the broken ship, but the Philippines obviously did not listen.
Not only that, but in 2013, in order to find the so-called legal basis, the Philippines also engaged in a farce on its own: the South China Sea arbitration.
However, this is clearly a trap, and China is naturally unlikely to agree, so China immediately made its attitude clear: it will not accept and will not participate.
But despite this, the Philippines still held the arbitration without the presence of China, and the outcome can be imagined.
The Philippines thought it was sure to win, but soon after it saw the Chinese maritime surveillance ships and warships coming to inspect it, the Philippines, fearing that it would be beaten, immediately lodged an international protest, saying that the Chinese ships had illegally appeared at Ren'ai Jiao.
In the face of the protest of the clown, the Chinese government naturally refused to accept it and declared that the normal cruise of the Chinese ship was beyond reproach!
However, it is unacceptable that in the past 25 years, the Philippines has not only not towed away the ships, but has continued to replenish and reinforce.
Such an act is not only a provocation to the mainland's territorial sovereignty, but also makes many people angry, hoping that the mainland will dismantle it as soon as possible, but now this is no longer possible.
Recognizing the reality, it is almost impossible to drag it away
From a purely technical point of view, if you want to tow the Sierra Madre away, you first have to let it float, but even at high tide, the water depth of the reef is difficult to support the Sierra Madre, which requires the use of auxiliary buoys or excavation of the seabed.
But this approach is obviously unrealistic, first of all, the Sierra Madre was rushing up in a beaching way, that is, running "not to go", and the bottom of the ship was firmly stuck on the reef.
Moreover, the Philippines has continued to strengthen over the years, using reinforced concrete and other materials to make the bottom of the ship and the reef melt together, so even if the tugboat with the maximum horsepower is used, it is difficult to tow, or in other words, the crumbling broken ship is directly towed.
In addition to the technical difficulties of implementation, international factors cannot be ignored.
The current attitude of the Philippines is to occupy Ren'ai Jiao, and the ship is guarded by soldiers, and the premise for us to successfully tug the boat is to get the Philippine soldiers off the ship.
But these people all have weapons in their hands, and if in the process, once there is a double armed conflict, then things are likely to develop in an uncontrollable direction.
On the one hand, this is inconsistent with the mainland's strategy in the South China Sea, and on the other hand, the United States is likely to take the opportunity to get involved, because as early as the last century, the United States and the Philippines signed the "U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty", which stipulates that in the event of a death in the Philippines, the United States will take joint action.
The situation in the South China Sea is complicated, and the United States has always wanted to cross the line, and if this opportunity is given again, the situation in the South China Sea will probably become even more chaotic.
But it is a fact that the Philippines occupies the territory of the mainland, so should we just give it up?
China's handling is clever
In the face of repeated provocations by the Philippines, the mainland has repeatedly exercised restraint and refrained from using force, but has resorted to negotiation and communication to find a solution.
Consensus has been reached before, but the Philippines' own internal policy issues have led to a capricious attitude towards the established consensus.
However, the mainland is not only engaged in communication, but also seeks understanding and support in the international community, and has repeatedly stated at the United Nations that the mainland has territorial sovereignty over Ren'ai Jiao and Nanhai Zhudao.
Although the Philippines is now hiding in a broken ship and is reluctant to leave, in fact, the initiative of Ren'ai Jiao is already in the hands of the mainland.
At present, the mainland is constantly increasing its law enforcement forces near Ren'ai Jiao, which can not only monitor the movements of the Sierra Madre, but also completely block the waters near Ren'ai Jiao.
In the past, the Philippines was able to carry out regular replenishment of personnel stationed on ships, but the mainland's "temporary special arrangement" was for humanitarian supplies, so we did not stop the Philippines from sending daily necessities to ships.
However, such measures are temporary, and the fact that the mainland has opened a gap under special circumstances does not mean that the Philippines has recognized its possession of Second Thomas Shoal, let alone allow it to transport construction materials.
Since 2023, the Philippines has been trying to strengthen and expand, and the mainland has also shown a tough attitude towards this.
In August 2023, two Philippine supply ships wanted to get close to Ren'ai Jiao, but the mainland coast guard ship decisively launched water cannons to stop it, and on March 5, 2024, the Philippines tried to rush through the border again, but was eventually stopped by the mainland coast guard ship.
It can be seen from this that the mainland has completely blocked the waters around the coast guard vessels, and the initiative has been firmly grasped in its hands.
As for the Sierra Madre, after 25 years of wind and rain, it has already crumbled to a crumbling state, and once the ship disintegrates naturally, Filipino personnel cannot and cannot continue to stay at Second Thomas Shoal.
epilogue
The mainland has never invaded other countries, but it will never allow anyone to occupy our land, and territorial sovereignty is paramount, and the Chinese people will certainly defend it with actions.
Those aggressors will eventually pay the price for their actions!
Resources:
Tik Tok Encyclopedia - Sierra Madre landing ship
Douyin Encyclopedia - Ren'ai Reef
Online News Network-14 Years of "Incognito", Ren'ai Jiao Returns to China's Control(2013.5.23)
Xinhua News Agency - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's Remarks on the So-called South China Sea Arbitral Tribunal's Award(2016.7.12)
Why does China no longer allow the Philippines to supply beached warships at Ren'ai Jiao?Expert: Things are not the same(2023.8.9)
文 | ZYG
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