Less than 24 hours after the conclusion of the talks between China and the Philippines, the Philippines once again reversed course and made a bunch of demands on China. The Marcos government, which has "turned off the fire" on the surface, actually intends to "go head-to-head" with the PLA, and has already prepared the next counterattack plan.
Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Brawner
A few days ago, China and the Philippines held a consultation meeting on the South China Sea dispute. Judging from the reactions of the two sides after the meeting, although there are still big differences, at least the two sides have reached an agreement on the issue of "peaceful communication", which can be regarded as a step forward. Both sides have also made "concessions" in action. According to Philippine media reports, Chinese coast guard ships have now withdrawn from the waters near Ren'ai Jiao. The Philippine side also said that the medium-range missile systems planned to be deployed by the US military on Luzon Island will be withdrawn from the Philippines.
According to a spokesman for the Philippine military, Marcos has also issued orders to the Philippine military to minimize conflicts with China in the South China Sea. Many analysts said that since the Chinese coast guard took a big move on June 17, the Philippines has been abandoned by the United States, and although it is unwilling, the Philippine side intends to "take the initiative to admit intimidation". Just when everyone thought that the South China Sea would finally be cleaned up for a few days, the Philippine side made unreasonable demands and threatened one after another.
Not long after the conclusion of the talks between China and the Philippines, the Philippine military had the intention of "turning its face and denying people." On July 4, Brawner, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said that he demanded that China compensate the Philippines 60 million pesos, about 7 million yuan.
He said that in the June 17 clashes, the Chinese coast guard punctured the Philippine military's inflatable boat, causing damage to the boat's communications and navigation equipment, and the 60 million yuan paid by the Chinese side was only the cost of repairing the equipment.
The Chinese Coast Guard intercepted an illegal Philippine ship
Regarding the Philippine side's request for compensation, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that the Philippine side took the lead in entering the mainland's sovereign territorial waters to carry out provocations, and the Chinese coast guard enforced the law in accordance with the law, and there was nothing inappropriate. As for some of the bad consequences caused, the Philippine side needs to bear it for itself. The meaning of the Chinese side is obvious, the Philippine side is at fault first, and we will not give this money.
After this request was rejected by the Chinese side, the Philippine side also made another request to the Chinese representative. At the time of the clashes, the Chinese coast guard seized weapons from Philippine military ships and confiscated all of them. Therefore, at the meeting, the Philippine side demanded that the Chinese side return the seven rifles that had been confiscated.
The Chinese representative did not immediately respond to this.
The Philippine side is stirring up trouble in China's territory with guns, and after it fails, it also demands that China return its weapons.
After being rejected by the Chinese side one after another, the Philippine side began to make threats again. Brawner, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said at a press conference that in the future, in the South China Sea, the Philippines will counterattack China in accordance with the "principle of proportionality".
According to him, if China moves the knife, the Philippines will also use the knife. No matter how China imposes sanctions on the Philippines, the Philippines will retaliate with the same force. To put it bluntly, it is the so-called "tooth for tooth".
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos
He said that in the future, the Philippines will use the same degree of force to defend itself, and will not be "bullied" by China as it did last time. However, when asked about the specific countermeasures of the Philippine side, Brawner did not elaborate.
But he said the Philippines would try to avoid war, but would not allow any country to "trample on the country's national sovereignty." From this point of view, the attitude of the Philippines can be regarded as clear that the "peace talks" with China may only be a delaying tactic, and there is no sincerity at all.
It has been learned that the foreign and defense ministers of Japan and the Philippines will hold talks next Monday. The talks could lead to a very "groundbreaking" document that would allow the deployment of troops on each side's territory. The move was tantamount to opening the door of the Philippines to the Japanese army. At present, the negotiations on the national defense and security agreement between the two countries have basically been completed, and the two sides are waiting for the two sides to sign the official document.
Previously, Japan had provided loans to the Philippines to sell large warships and said it would help the Philippine Coast Guard strengthen its defense capabilities against maritime threats around it. This is obviously a statement, and it is also aimed at China. The Philippines believes that "the enemy of the enemy is a friend," and coupled with the special relationship between the United States and Japan, it mistakenly regards Japan as another "lifeline."
The Chinese and Philippine delegations held consultations on the South China Sea issue
Some Japanese experts analyzed Japan's move and said that Japan wants to learn from its experience and use it to compete with China for sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands. In other words, if the Philippines loses the dispute between China and the Philippines, it may not be conducive to Japan's subsequent struggle with China for the Diaoyu Islands.
When asked whether this move by Japan and the Philippines could be regarded as the signing of a "mutual defense agreement" similar to that of the United States and the Philippines, the Japanese side flatly denied it. Experts say that even if Japan's Self-Defense Forces have the ability to fight back or even fight, Japan's constitution says that Japan cannot provide any assistance in the event of an attack on the Philippines.
This can also be seen that the Japanese side does not really want to help the Philippines, and the Philippines still cannot escape the fate of a pawn. As for the United States, since the events of June 17, the Marcos administration should have understood what the United States meant. Stirring up Sino-Philippine relations and provoking the Philippines and China to act against each other, something happened at a critical moment, and the US side watched the fire from across the strait, without the slightest intention of helping the Philippines.
The Philippines says one thing and does another, but cannot solve the problem fundamentally. The Marcos administration appears to be ready to "admit intimidation," but in reality it has no desire for "peace." We can only reiterate that China has indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea. The Philippine side has repeatedly backtracked on its word, and China has no energy to continue this game. If Marcos insists on going his own way, he will pay a heavy price.