On 30 April, a Philippine coast guard ship forcibly intruded into the waters off China's Scarborough Shoal and was hit by the water cannons of two Chinese coast guard ships. According to the latest statement of the Philippine side, the Philippine ship maintenance fee may be as high as 3 million pesos, or more than 400,000 yuan.
At about 9 o'clock in the morning of April 30, a Philippine coast guard ship and an official ship forcibly intruded into the waters of China's Huangyan Island, and the Chinese coast guard ship led six maritime militia fishing boats to set up multiple lines of defense at the entrance of Huangyan Island. The Chinese Coast Guard ship then fired water cannons at the Philippine Coast Guard ship.
Although the Philippine Coast Guard ship was reinforced and modified in advance, in the face of the impact of the water cannon with a pressure of 145 megapascal water column, the Philippine Coast Guard ship "Bajakai" was seriously damaged. And if it were to be repaired in its entirety, it would take at least 3 million pesos.
From the renovation and reinforcement carried out by the Philippine ships in advance, it can be seen that the Philippines is deliberately provoking this time. It's just that the Philippine side doesn't remember what to eat, and it has forcibly invaded China's waters many times before, and the Chinese coast guard has responded with water cannons, and still uses this provocative method.
According to the general practice of maritime law enforcement, in the disputed sea area, in law enforcement, the first thing is to shout to each other, if you listen to the persuasion to return then everything is easy to say, if the other party does not listen to the persuasion, then the use of water cannon impact and other law enforcement methods, of course, this law enforcement method is also non-violent, as for the use of thermal weapons, such as machine guns, naval guns, that is the last means of violence.
This is also the three strengths of general maritime law enforcement, and the main buildings on the upper floor of a coast guard ship like the Philippine side are seriously damaged, and even the radar LED display screen is completely scrapped, which is a very serious situation, you know, these things are in the cockpit, obviously the purpose of the Chinese coast guard ship is to incapacitate the Philippine ship, before impacting its cockpit. It is also to combat the arrogance of the Philippine side.
When the Bajakai Coast Guard ship returned to Manila Port, the Philippine Coast Guard Commander personally met with the ship's 39 crew members at the port and awarded the Coast Guard Medal of Merit and ribbons. Such an act by the Philippine side is undoubtedly encouraging such provocative acts. The embassies of many countries in the Philippines have expressed concern about this matter, and these countries are also countries that are very concerned about the South China Sea.
After the incident, the Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs made a rebuke, claiming that the Chinese coast guard ship intercepted the Philippine coast guard ship and the fishery administration vessel with water cannons at Scarborough Shoal, which was a dangerous action, and demanded that the Chinese ship leave the waters of Scarborough Shoal. This kind of remarks that turn black and white upside down has been refuted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines, saying that Scarborough Shoal and its waters belong to China's territory, and the Philippine side forcibly intruded into China's waters without China's permission, violating China's sovereignty. There is no territorial dispute between China and the Philippines.
This time, the Philippine ship forcibly entered the waters of Scarborough Shoal, and the Chinese side directly attacked its cockpit with water cannons, which also warned the Philippines that the current shouting and driving away no longer worked, and even if we knew that this was a deliberate provocation by the Philippine side, it would only use the water cannons of coast guard ships to impact it, rather than using warships, which would intensify the contradictions into military conflicts and give some countries an excuse to intervene。
China's behavior of attacking the Philippine coast guard ship with water cannons and scrapping its radar and LED screen is to make the Philippines feel pain, and every time it forcibly breaks in, it will damage the Philippine ship and increase the maintenance cost, so as to see if the Philippines can continue to persist in provocation. At the same time, it is also a warning to the Philippines not to dare to act recklessly in the South China Sea because of the support of the United States. From the Philippines' frequent provocations in the South China Sea, its refusal to recognize the Sino-Philippine agreement on the South China Sea gentlemen's agreement, to allowing the United States to deploy intermediate-range ballistic missile systems aimed at China in the Philippines, these will undoubtedly heat up the South China Sea issue and make the regional situation unstable.
The frequent provocations by the Philippine side are very dangerous, and in addition to resolutely retaliating, China has also strengthened its deployment of islands and reefs in the South China Sea. China has long been prepared for the escalation of the conflict, and it is determined and capable of safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Resources
The Philippines illegally invaded Scarborough Shoal, the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines: China has lodged solemn representations with the Philippine side
Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Philippine Ships Illegally Intrude into the Waters of Huangyan Island, and the Chinese Coast Guard Drove Away in accordance with the Law Beijing Daily