Taiwan has been on the verge of frying recently, and the frequent military operations of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) have made people on the island panic. At the same time, within half a month, both Asian countries suddenly want to expand their continental shelves in the sea, and their intentions against China are obvious. In this regard, China's rebuttal is merciless!
Just today, Taiwan's media broke the news: In the past 24 hours, Taiwan's defense department has found 35 sorties of PLA military aircraft and seven warships patrolling the perimeter of the Taiwan Strait.
What is even more surprising is that these fighters encircled Taiwan from the north, center, south, and east, and this scene was almost like a high-energy scene in the movie "Pacific Rim." The alarm bells of Taiwan's missile units rang incessantly from morning to night, which really made the Taiwan military scratch their hearts and livers.
Taiwan's defense department also released a schematic map showing that 33 of the 35 sorties of PLA military aircraft crossed the so-called "median line of the strait" and entered Taiwan's northern, central, southwestern, and eastern airspace.
This time, the domineering operation of "270 degrees" around the island forced the defense line of Taipei City to less than 30 nautical miles, which was too tight! It really caught the Taiwan authorities off guard, and they were worried all day long.
The Taiwan media then began to speculate that this wave of operations was due to the relationship between the United States and the United States in the latest round of arms sales to Taiwan.
It is also possible to think about it, and as soon as the United States sent some "toys" to Taiwan, the PLA could not bear it anymore and engaged in military operations on a large scale, as if it wanted to give Taiwan a "dismount."
In response to these speculations, mainland military expert Zhang Xuefeng said that PLA warships and planes cruising across the so-called "center line of the strait" has become a regular thing.
There is absolutely no legal basis for this "middle line of the strait," and there is absolutely no need for the Taiwan side to worry about the sky. When and how many warplanes and warships the PLA will send is up to itself, and Taiwan should not worry about it.
As a matter of fact, this kind of nervousness has spread from the Taiwan media to ordinary people on the island, and they have also begun to worry about whether the cross-strait situation will become more tense. Everyone is asking, what exactly does the PLA's actions mean?
Zhang Xiaogang, spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, has already made it clear that there is only one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and the so-called "median line of the strait" in Taiwan's mouth does not exist at all.
In fact, the exercises and training conducted by the PLA in the Taiwan Strait are safeguarding national sovereignty and interests, and are also a powerful warning and countermeasure against the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.
Zhang Xiaogang also stressed that the PLA will continue to strengthen military training and preparation for war, and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Therefore, the recent frequent patrol operations of the People's Liberation Army have obvious meaning: we must focus on preparing for war! Be ready to take on any challenge, you can guess as much as you like.
In short, this tense atmosphere will not dissipate for the time being, and not only the Taiwan media, but also the general public is becoming more and more sensitive. However, from the point of view, the so-called "middle line of the strait" is actually a non-existent concept, and PLA patrols have long become the norm.
Seeing that the People's Liberation Army is accelerating the pace of reunification, Japan is in a hurry!
The news has just come that Japan has made another big move! Japan's cabinet met and decided to issue a new decree to expand the continental shelf on the east side of Chichijima in the Ogasawara Islands by 120,000 square kilometers.
Japan wants to use the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to endorse itself by saying that it will give priority to the exploration of seabed resources within that area.
In this regard, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning unceremoniously pointed out that Japan's operation this time was completely chaotic.
As early as 2012, the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf proposed amendments to Japan's submission on the outer continental shelf, but Japan ignored it and unilaterally expanded its claim. This is simply a malicious violation of international rules!
Mao Ning particularly stressed that if the outer continental shelf delineated by coastal countries on the basis of the recommendations of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, that would count, otherwise the international community would not recognize the account at all.
China maintains that the applications for the delimitation of the outer continental shelf by all States parties must be carried out in strict accordance with the Convention and must not encroach on the international seabed area or harm the overall interests of the international community.
Why did Japan suddenly expand its shelf?
The biggest possibility is that China's recent series of big moves have "stimulated" Japan!
In the middle of this month, China and the Philippines broke out in the Ren'ai Jiao incident in the South China Sea, and then the Philippine government submitted a request to the United Nations to expand the continental shelf in the South China Sea.
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said the request was approved by President Ferdinand Marcos and that a team led by the Philippine Bureau of Mapping, Mapping and Resource Information took a full 15 years to collect the data.
According to the relevant provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the continental shelf of a coastal State can extend from 200 nautical miles to 350 nautical miles, provided that the conditions are met.
Chinese experts said that the details of the Philippines' application have not yet been released, but from the information disclosed by the country's foreign ministry, the so-called "West Palawan area" overlaps with China's claimed waters in the South China Sea. In other words, China and the Philippines have to quarrel again.
According to the rules of procedure of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, if there is a dispute, the Philippine application will most likely not be considered or will be shelved.
The expert further analyzed the motivation of the Philippines. The Philippine operation was not a whim, but was planned over a long period of time and was supported by the United States.
The main reason for them to do so is to confirm the illegal award of the so-called "South China Sea Arbitration" a few years ago, and at the same time to lead the rhythm in the international public opinion arena to attack and smear China.
Not to mention that the Philippines has also illegally occupied eight islands and reefs in China's Nansha Islands, and recently caused incidents at Ren'ai Jiao, Xianbin Jiao, and Tie Line Jiao.
They are playing the card of the outer continent in order to consolidate and expand their illegal gains in the South China Sea.
In addition, the Philippines has also continued to hype up China's new rules in the South China Sea, looking like a thief shouting to catch a thief, in a vain attempt to disrupt the public opinion and tactics.
However, the China Coast Guard's attitude is very clear: no matter how the Philippines distorts and smears in the arena of international public opinion, we will, as always, take effective and professional measures to protect rights and law enforcement, and firmly safeguard China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights.
In short, both Japan and the Philippines have been making frequent moves on maritime issues recently.
Japan's expansion of its continental shelf and the Philippines' application for maritime expansion are actions that China should pay close attention to.
In the face of these challenges, China will resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests through diplomatic and maritime rights protection measures.
In any case, the situation may be more complicated and tense in the short term, and we can only wait and see how China counters with thunderous means!