Recently, there is a very interesting thing, related to the South China Sea dispute between China and the Philippines, according to Philippine media reports, in the past two days, a recording of the Sino-Philippine phone call was made public, the recording time was in January this year, the recording content shows that Vice Admiral Carlos, commander of the Western Military Region of the Philippines, consulted with Chinese representatives, and the two countries reached a "new model" for the replacement of the broken ship at Ren'ai Shoal, according to this "new model", the Philippine side can deliver food to the broken ship stranded in Ren'ai Bank. water and humanitarian supplies, but only if the Chinese side is notified two days in advance, and the Chinese side is in constant communication throughout the delivery process.
However, if we look at the news in recent months, we can see that the Filipinos have in fact violated the agreement. At the beginning, in the spirit of humanitarianism, the Chinese side allowed the Philippines to deliver supplies to the grounded ship. But soon the news became that Philippine ships had forcibly entered the waters of Second Thomas Shoal, and Chinese coast guard ships had been expelled with water cannons.
A few days ago, the Philippines strenuously denied that an agreement had ever been reached. even let Lieutenant General Carlos, who was involved in the Philippine incident, start to take a vacation, which is very like a feeling of covering his ears and stealing the bell. Of course, that's not the point, the question is how did the media know about this inside information? According to Philippine media, an anonymous diplomat from the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines and his embassy team made the news public.
If it's really the Chinese team who voluntarily disclose this inside story, then it's interesting, why would we do this? It can be boldly guessed that China has prepared public opinion for the forcible demolition of the beached and broken ship at Ren'ai Jiao.
We know that the Chinese have always paid attention to "courtesy before soldiers" in doing things, and in the past in the spirit of humanitarianism, we have always let the broken ship of Ren'ai Jiao exist, but the so-called "toast does not eat and punish wine", China is polite, then we have to do it.
Over the past few years, China has taken a relatively restrained approach to the South China Sea and is committed to resolving disputes through peaceful negotiations and bilateral dialogue, but the Filipino's capriciousness and broken promises may have touched a bottom line that China can accept. The release of the recording may be a turning point in China's diplomatic strategy, moving from behind the scenes to the front of the stage to handle disputes in a more direct and transparent manner, not only to gain the understanding and support of international public opinion, but also to pave the way for possible next steps.
If China does decide to dismantle the ship, it will be a landmark event, which not only means that China has taken more resolute action on the South China Sea issue, but also indicates that the situation in the South China Sea may usher in new fluctuations. However, in any case, China's every move will be based on the principle of ensuring regional peace and stability, and strive to safeguard its own interests while not exacerbating contradictions, and demonstrate the demeanor of a responsible major country.