Recently, the Philippine side announced that it will send more than 100 Filipino civilians to Scarborough Shoal in the middle of this month to carry out the so-called "civilian mission".
[The Philippines will send hundreds of fishermen to force their way into Scarborough Shoal]
This is not the first time that the Philippine military has coerced civilians into provocations in the South China Sea. As early as September last year, the Marcos government in the Philippines gathered more than 50 civilian ships to prepare to break into the waters of Scarborough Shoal. To this end, the Philippine side has made full preparations, not only giving 60,000 tons of diesel fuel and a large amount of supplies to Philippine civilian ships, but the Philippine side's action was quickly discovered by the Chinese side, although there was no head-on conflict, but the Chinese ships gathered around still made the Philippine side discourage.
After that, Philippine anti-China legislator Risa established a non-governmental organization mainly composed of ordinary fishermen, and also recruited a large number of politicians, political parties and political groups to join. On Christmas Eve last December, 10 December, the organization carried out its first "supply delivery" mission.
On the day of the mission, 40 Philippine civilian ships formed a so-called "Christmas fleet" and set off from Palawan Island to Ren'ai Jiao. However, although the Philippine side battle was not small, the result was very bleak, and it was intercepted by our coast guard before it reached Ren'ai Jiao, and after trying to break in, it was attacked by water cannons, and finally had to return in a huff. It is worth mentioning that before the fleet set off, 10 fishing boats "retreated" in the memory, and the remaining boats also expressed their willingness to end their trips early.
[Philippine non-governmental organizations held a press conference to explain the "forcible break" plan]
Interestingly, before the operation, the NGO also held a press conference to explain the forcible attack, and its spokesman said that the operation was a "peaceful voyage" and that the main purpose of the operation was to lay so-called sovereignty buoys in the waters of Scarborough Shoal. The organizers of the event claimed that their such activity was in line with the "active citizenship model" and did not seek "provocation or conflict".
Although the group's spokesman said that the righteousness was awe-inspiring, it could not hide the essential purpose of the incident: to use innocent civilians as cannon fodder so that the United States could naturally interfere in the affairs of the South China Sea. Since the formation of the alliance, the United States and the Philippines have been emphasizing their so-called US-Philippine defense regulations, clamoring that if the Philippines is "armed attacked" in the South China Sea, the United States will abide by the regulations and promise to go to the South China Sea to provide the Philippines with the military assistance it needs. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. even said that if the Philippine military is killed in the South China Sea dispute, it will be the time to ask the US military to intervene.
However, it is impossible for the Philippine military to really let its own people be used as this "bait", so civilians who have no power, no power and no support are naturally the best option, and once a civilian is injured or killed in the confrontation between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, the United States and the Philippines can "logically" occupy the moral high ground and force China to put China in a passive position in public opinion. With the increasing urgency of the United States to use the South China Sea to divert attention, it can be seen that the scale of the Marcos Jr. government's use of civilians to take the lead is also increasing, and the sinister degree of its intentions is amazing.
[China Coast Guard conducts regular exercises at Scarborough Shoal]
However, no matter what the real purpose of the Philippine government is, this move has already posed a serious threat to the sovereignty and security of the mainland's waters. In this regard, China has also made two preparations:
The first is combat readiness. At least nine PLA ships have assembled in the South China Sea, including 055 destroyers, 052D, 054A and other frigates and supply ships. Although the main purpose of the exercise is to ensure the safety of the personnel on board the ships, the firepower and speed of the coast guard vessels participating in the exercise should not be underestimated. It can be seen that the Chinese side is ready to fight with Fei Lubin's illegal ships at any time.
The second is negotiation preparation. A few days ago, Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong of the mainland went to Indonesia to attend the 30th China Alliance Senior Officials Meeting, at which China and ASEAN countries reached a consensus on focusing on strengthening security cooperation, creating a secure regional environment, and adhering to the strategy of independence and self-determination. It also means that the progress of the code of conduct in the South China Sea will also be accelerated, and once the code is agreed, there will be no room for the Philippines to provoke.
[Chinese and Philippine Deputy Foreign Ministers Hold Bilateral Talks in ASEAN]
It is worth mentioning that during the meeting, the Chinese and Philippine vice foreign ministers also held a bilateral meeting, and the Chinese vice foreign minister clearly mentioned that the recent deployment of the US intermediate-range missile system in the Philippines is a serious act of turning back the clock on history and seriously undermining regional peace and stability. The Philippines should stop acting as a "hegemonic tool" and "proxy" of major powers as soon as possible.
Judging from the actions of the Philippine side today, it is clear that it has not heeded China's reminders. For Marcos Jr., provocations in the South China Sea are the best way to curry favor with the United States and fight for his own interests; But for the Filipino people, dancing with the United States means that they may lose their lives at any time, and Marcos Jr. has to have a good idea of which is more important than the fate of the country and personal interests.