Under the thunderous tactics of the Chinese coast guard, the Philippine fishing boat failed to "break into the island", and the Scarborough Shoal turmoil came to an end, but the farce of the Philippines in the South China Sea is far from over.
On the morning of 16 May, when the Philippines was again involved in China's Nansha Islands, Philippine Defense Secretary Teodoro, accompanied by Senate Chairman Zubiri and others, visited Thitu Island on a military plane, and they also announced in a high-profile manner that the purpose of their visit was to attend the groundbreaking ceremony of a military barracks facility of the Philippine Navy.
Philippine Defense Minister Teodoro landed on Thitu Island to pose for a photo
Perhaps because of the wall encountered in Scarborough Shoal, the Philippines sent a "super team" this time, hoping to take the opportunity of this visit to Thitu Island to make up for it. However, the whole process of the visit did not go smoothly, and as soon as the Philippine defense minister's special plane approached Thitu Island, it was warned by the Chinese coast guard by radio.
According to the footage taken by the Philippine side, the Chinese coast guard vessels guarding the iron line reef and the Chinese fishing boats fishing nearby can be clearly seen on the sea in the distance, which shows that all the actions of the Philippine side are under the close monitoring of the Chinese coast guard, and the Chinese coast guard can deal with them at any time according to law.
Geographically, the Thitu Island is about 2.5 to 3.5 nautical miles away from Thitu Island, both of which are China's inherent territory, but Thitu Island is occupied by the Philippine side.
The Chinese Coast Guard patrols the South China Sea
Just a few weeks ago, the Philippines also tried to invade the mainland's Thitu Reef, when the Philippines assembled two 30-meter fishery administration vessels and two 44-meter coast guard vessels on the illegally occupied Thitu Island, preparing to carry out nuisance activities near China's Thitu Island under the guise of the so-called "joint survey of marine resources."
After perceiving the Philippines' intention to invade, the Chinese side took decisive action, and the Chinese Coast Guard ship No. 5204 and the Chinese fishing boat intercepted it in accordance with the law, and the Chinese Navy patrolling nearby also immediately rushed to hear the sound, and the Z-8 helicopter flew directly over the scene to conduct alert and monitoring.
In fact, since the United States and the Philippines stepped up military cooperation, the Philippines has repeatedly provoked trouble near China's islands and reefs, such as Scarborough Shoal and Ren'ai Jiao, with the support of the United States. But the Philippines is obviously overjoyed, don't think that everything will be fine with the blessing of US weapons, and China's response is also escalating.
The H-6K bomber took off with a bomb
The United States deployed medium-range missiles in the Philippines on the front foot, and the H-6K bombers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army took off from Fiery Cross Reef on the back foot.
As a medium and long-range bomber, the H-6K can have a maximum range of 8,000 kilometers and a combat radius of 3,500 kilometers, and if it carries strategic cruise missiles, it can easily hit targets within 5,000 kilometers.
The deployment of such a long-range bomber to Fiery Cross Reef sends a fairly clear signal to the outside world, that is, the PLA is determined to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity and maintain the overall stability of the situation in the South China Sea.
US Navy aircraft carrier "Roosevelt".
Perhaps worried about China's countermeasures, when the Philippines made trouble in the South China Sea in the past few days, the US aircraft carriers have been hiding far away. Since the end of April, the US aircraft carrier "Roosevelt" has been operating near the South China Sea, and although the US side is talking about "regular deployment", it is clear that there is an element behind this to support the Philippines.
According to the information published on the website of the US Naval Institute on 16 July, the "Roosevelt" aircraft carrier had withdrawn to Singapore, which was 2,000 kilometers away from Scarborough Shoal, leaving the Philippines alone to "mess in the wind."
Perhaps because of the lack of US support and the strong deterrence of the Chinese coast guard, the Philippine fleet announced that it had "completed its mission" and was ready to go back to its own homes before it dared to approach Scarborough Shoal.
Filipino fishing boats
This incident also shows once again that the so-called commitment of the United States to "stand firmly with the Philippines" is actually fragile, and it is only to coax the Philippines to continue to act as a pawn to contain China in the South China Sea. As far as China is concerned, no matter what means the United States uses in the South China Sea, our determination to defend national security and regional peace will never change.