Is there a new explosion in the South China Sea? China and the Philippines have increased their troops in the region at the same time, and the 17th word has been sent out of the Philippines, and there is no need to tow away the broken ship

Relying on the support of the United States, the Philippines has become more and more rampant in its actions on the South China Sea issue, frequently provoking the mainland's sovereignty and jurisdiction over islands and reefs in the South China Sea.

In particular, 25 years have passed since the Philippines sat on the "Sierra Madre" beached on Ren'ai Jiao, and the Philippines not only did not tow it away, but repeatedly did not keep its word, and illegally transported construction materials to it twice in three days.

And now, the spearhead of the Philippines seems to have begun to turn to the eastern gateway of the mainland's Nansha - Xianbin Reef, and there are some people who want to replicate the drama of the "Sierra Madre" incident!

Xianbin Reef is the largest atoll in the Spratly Islands, with a total area of about 84 square kilometers, and its geographical location is extremely important.

It is only 60 kilometers away from Ren'ai Jiao, which is illegally occupied by the Philippines in the west, and 135 kilometers away from Palawan Island in the east.

Once China strengthens its deployment at Xianbin Reef, it will directly cut off the Philippines' supply channel to Ren'ai Jiao and other places.

Moreover, the sovereignty of Xianbin Reef has belonged to China since ancient times, and as early as the 80s of the last century, China set up sovereignty symbols and set up duty points on the islands and reefs.

However, due to the technical constraints at that time, Xianbin Reef was not continuously and effectively controlled.

After the dispute in the South China Sea heated up in 2012, the Chinese coast guard began patrolling the waters of Xianbin Reef on a regular basis, and there were several confrontations with Philippine ships.

As China's national strength continues to grow, it has the ability to carry out large-scale infrastructure construction in the Spratly Islands.

Mischief Reef and Fiery Cross Reef have been upgraded to become outposts of China's military forces in the South China Sea.

Senbin Reef will undoubtedly be the next possible target.

Once the land is reclaimed at Xianbin Reef, it will not only consolidate China's control in the eastern part of the Spratlys, but also effectively curb the Philippines' centrifugal departure from Germany in the Spratlys.

Fishing boats from the mainland used to stop at Sembin Reef to recuperate

In this regard, the Philippine government also seems to be aware of the importance of Sembin Reef.

Since the end of April this year, the Philippine Coast Guard has dispatched its largest patrol vessel, the USS Teresa Magbanua, to conduct a multi-week survey in the waters off Sembin Reef.

According to Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Tariella, he said "low-tide elevation" features had been found around Sembin Reef and suspected that China was carrying out "small-scale land reclamation."

He also claimed to have found broken corals and coral piles that had been dumped by man, accusing China of "destroying the marine ecology."

But such groundless accusations by the Philippines against the mainland seem untenable.

Sembin Reef itself is an atoll made up of coral reefs, and it is normal for large amounts of broken corals and coral piles to exist.

In addition to the need for a large amount of money, all kinds of large-scale modern equipment are indispensable, and the first step is to dispatch dredgers, but at present, such ships have not been found near Xianbin Reef.

Therefore, the so-called dispatch of the "Teresa Magbanua" by the Philippines to the waters of Xianbin Reef to find evidence of "China's land reclamation" is just a cover for the Philippines to cover up its true purpose, and it is completely untenable.

Why, then, did the Philippines suddenly pay attention to Sembin Reef and make such accusations against China?

The Philippines may have the following considerations:

1. The Philippines has been eyeing Sembin Reef in the hope of creating an incident on the reef and seeking control over the reef by following the example of the reef in Ren'ai Reef.

2. The Philippines is trying to distract China from other islands and reefs in the South China Sea by creating disputes at Xianbin Reef and creating favorable conditions for its actions in places like Ren'ai Jiao.

3. The Philippines hopes to continue to exaggerate the China threat theory in the international community by exaggerating China's "threat" at Xianbin Reef, so as to gain more support from the United States and other countries.

4. The Philippine government may have other domestic political considerations to divert domestic contradictions by creating external tensions.

However, according to the Philippines' usual practice, the most likely possibility of the Philippines' current action is nothing more than to create a pretext for it to "plant flags" on the islands and reefs in the future.

In response to the Philippines' actions, Chinese coast guard ships quickly increased their presence in the waters off the Sembin Reef and closely monitored the "Teresa Magbanua" to prevent it from carrying out any illegal operations in the waters of the reef.

Chinese vessels at Sembin Reef

At the same time, Chinese naval warships have also been stationed in the area, so that the Philippines and the United States behind it can see the mainland's firm determination to safeguard territorial sovereignty.

According to photos taken by commercial satellites, a number of Chinese coast guard vessels and fishing vessels were monitoring the movements of the Philippine vessels in the vicinity of the Teresa Magbanua.

Situation map of Sembin Reef captured by Western commercial satellites

In addition, in response to the recent frequent provocations by the Philippines and its threat to expel Chinese diplomats, mainland diplomats also said at a regular press conference on May 10, "Don't act rashly, don't shoot yourself in the foot." ”

From these 17 words, we can see the mainland's attitude toward the Philippines, a clown who jumps off the beam, and once the Philippines has any misconduct, the mainland will certainly take countermeasures as soon as possible.

Looking at the situation in the South China Sea, for the Philippine government, Xianbin Jiao may be just a new provocative target, the purpose of which is nothing more than to curry favor with the United States and continue to act as its "pawn" on the South China Sea issue.

The Philippines' repeated incidents have not only depleted China's precious resources for maintaining peace in the South China Sea, but also exacerbated regional tensions.

In this regard, the mainland undoubtedly needs to maintain a high degree of vigilance and full preparation, and at the same time call on the new Philippine government to take a responsible attitude and stop unnecessary provocations on the South China Sea issue.

For China, by contrast, the reef is a strategic location in the eastern part of the Spratly Islands, which is not only an important part of defending territorial sovereignty, but also the key to maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea.

Once land reclamation is carried out at Xianbin Reef and a conventional military force is established, it will further consolidate China's actual control over the Nansha Islands, help curb the military presence of foreign countries in the South China Sea, and maintain regional peace and stability.

So no matter how other countries stop it, it is imperative for the mainland to reclaim land on Xianbin Reef!

Even if the Philippines dares to go further, we can even directly take action and reclaim land on Sembin Reef.

It is time for the Philippines to recognize its own position, and not to continue to provoke the mainland and the South China Sea in its willful and reckless manner.

At present, the most advantageous choice for the Philippines is to give up provocations against the mainland, give up the broken ship sitting on Ren'ai Jiao, and let it disintegrate naturally, so that the Philippines will not lose face completely!

Resources:

Philippine officials falsely claimed to "expel Chinese diplomats", and the Chinese side responded--Beijing News