After illegally stealing Ren'ai Jiao, Thitu Island and other islands and reefs, the Philippines is still not satisfied, and has to covet an inseparable part of my ancient history - Xianbin Jiao, which is really insatiable! According to satellite imagery, the Philippine Coast Guard has dispatched its largest and most advanced coast guard vessel, the Japanese-built "Magbanua" coast guard ship, to force its way into the lagoon of Sembin Reef. Since last month, this Japanese-made Philippine coast guard ship has been forcibly stranded in the reef of our Xianbin Reef for more than 50 days! Because the ship is not a small boat, but a displacement of more than 2,700 tons of the largest Philippine coast guard ship, with a crew of more than 60 people, so during this period of time, the Philippines has also continuously dispatched small transport ships to transport supplies to it.
At present, it is very likely that the Philippines wants to "rely on it" in Xianbin Jiao, thus forming a so-called "fait accompli", and then further illegally stealing Xianbin Jiao. Does everyone look familiar? That's right, that's what the Philippines did at Second Thomas Shoal! It's just that, unlike the old World War II amphibious ships that "beached" Ren'ai Jiao, this time the Philippines dispatched to Xianbin Reef was the "baby bump" of the Philippine Coast Guard, and it may be a bit "wasteful" to "beach" directly, but we can't help but be vigilant against the possible bad intentions of the Philippines at Xianbin Reef!
According to information from the Philippine side, China's coast guard and fishing boats have been dispatched in large numbers and deployed in the waters near Xianbin Reef, which has formed a strong deterrent to the Philippines. According to the latest news, the 20,000-ton large amphibious ship Type 071 amphibious ship of our navy is very likely to have arrived near Xianbin Reef, which is undoubtedly very intriguing.
You must know that unlike ordinary naval ships, the main function of Type 071 amphibious ships is to carry out amphibious force projection. This type of ship can not only carry hovercraft, commonly known as "Mustang", for transoceanic amphibious transport, but also can use helicopters for vertical force transportation. According to public information, this type of amphibious ship can carry hundreds of marines and a number of amphibious armored vehicles of various types, which is enough to carry out an amphibious operation of a certain scale, and it is quite powerful. Since such a large amphibious ship has arrived in the waters of Xianbin Reef, the significance is self-evident.
It is worth noting that the USS Roosevelt, which has been operating near the South China Sea for some time, also seems to have made a new move. According to satellite photographs, the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Roosevelt, which had been operating in the South China Sea and its surrounding waters, had arrived about 100 kilometers south of the Jindun Shoal in the Nansha Islands, which was also about several hundred kilometers away from the waters of Xianbin Reef, and the combat radius of the US aircraft carrier's aircraft could basically cover it. The USS Roosevelt has been deployed in the South China Sea for 78 days, with only brief breaks in Thailand and Singapore, which is actually a long-term deployment. The fact that the US aircraft carrier has been in the South China Sea for more than two months may also have something to do with the current tense situation.
However, if the Philippines tries to rely on the "backing" of the United States to act recklessly in the South China Sea, then it is a big mistake. The most direct reason is that the once invincible US military is actually no longer what it used to be, and it will not "stand out" for the Philippines. Even if you don't mention countries like Georgia and Ukraine, take Israel as an example. Needless to say, the relationship between Israel and the United States can be said to be worth more than the value of the 10 Philippines to the United States, and perhaps none of them are as valuable as one Israel. As a result, now that Israel has been beaten in Gaza and bombarded by rockets from Allah in the north, has the United States ever sent a soldier to help Israel? The answer is obvious. It can be seen that even Israel, which has close ties with the United States, was directly attacked militarily, and the United States did not send troops, so why does Marcos Jr. think that he will be heavier than Netanyahu in the eyes of the United States?
As a matter of fact, it is not only the United States that does not send troops when its "allies" are beaten, but even if the United States itself is beaten, the United States is not as eager to retaliate as it used to be. For example, not long ago, the Houthis have openly stated that they have attacked the US aircraft carrier, although there is no tangible evidence that the aircraft carrier was hit, but the US aircraft carrier not only did not directly retaliate against the Houthis, but galloped all the way north for more than 1,000 kilometers, far away from the area under the actual control of the Houthis, and the US media mercilessly ridiculed the "USS Eisenhower" aircraft carrier as "the escaped El". Saddam Hussein, who had a million soldiers, was much more powerful than the Houthis, right? The results were quite different.
It can be seen from this that it may be possible for the United States to "make a strong noise" for the Philippines now, but it is unlikely that it will really "stand out" for the Philippines. It is said that in the "shoulder-to-shoulder" military exercise held by the US military and the Philippines not long ago, the Roosevelt was obviously nearby, but it did not participate in the exercise, and the US military sent an aging amphibious transport ship to participate.
The most essential reason for this is that the United States itself already knows that it has almost no chance of winning in the South China Sea. After years of hard work, our military has established a complete anti-access/area denial system, specifically in the South China Sea, not only large island and reef bases, but also a powerful rocket force can also cover the South China Sea. In this case, even if the US aircraft carrier comes, it only dares to hide a few hundred kilometers away to "watch the show", and what will be the result of the Philippines, which is regarded as a "pawn" of the US military? I believe everyone will have an answer in their hearts.