At the beginning of this year, the Philippine judicial department once again said that the Philippine side is constantly collecting evidence, and it is expected to complete the indictment in February, and it is fully confident that it will win the case.
However, by July, the Philippine side had not yet come up with a decent document, but the Chinese side had taken the lead in issuing a document listing the Philippine side's crimes of destroying the marine environment.
(The USS Sierra Madre warship illegally "beached" by the Philippines)
In terms of content, the Chinese report is based on the collection of data through satellite remote sensing and on-site surveys, evaluates the current status of the coral reef at Ren'ai Jiao, and deeply analyzes the main reasons for the ecological degradation of the coral system.
According to the report, the Philippine warship Sierra Madre has been illegally "beached" on the mainland's Ren'ai Shoal for 25 years, seriously damaging the coral reef ecosystem, resulting in a significant decline in the local coral cover, especially around the warship, and a large number of dead corals nearby.
In addition, due to the damage of the hull and serious corrosion of the "beached" warship, a large number of heavy metals have been precipitated, resulting in a serious imbalance in the animal population structure in the reef area, and the content of oil, heavy metals and active phosphate in the seawater has also reached an unprecedented height. It has seriously damaged the ecological balance of the ocean.
In order to show reliability, the Chinese report also pasted various comparative photos, such as a comparison of the decks of Philippine warships in 2017 and 2024, which clearly shows that the original rusty decks have been repaired, and there are also pictures of the scene of direct incineration of garbage by the ship's personnel.
In short, the evidence of the Philippine side's environmental damage has been clearly laid out by the Chinese side.
(There is a comparison chart in the report)
As can be seen from China's recent actions, the mainland's attitude on the South China Sea issue has become tougher in the face of the Philippines' continuous provocations. For example, last month, the mainland issued new coast guard regulations, warning the Philippines in advance that it would step up law enforcement to prevent any illegal actions that could damage China's maritime rights and interests. However, the Philippine side does not seem to have fully assessed China's determination to continue its provocative actions in the South China Sea, and even defy the law on the first day of the new regulations, and finally tasted China's strength.
The same is true for today. On the one hand, the report released by the mainland is to first clarify to the international community the truth of the situation, that is, the Philippine side's illegal "beaching" of warships at Ren'ai Jiao, China's inherent territory, has seriously damaged the ecological environment in China's territory, and the Philippines is at fault first. On the other hand, it is intended to warn the Philippines to stop such acts and eliminate the source of pollution as soon as possible, so as to protect the healthy restoration of the ecosystem in the mainland waters.
And once the reason is stopped, things will be easy. If the Philippine side refuses to comply, China can accuse the Philippine side of seriously harming China's interests by illegally "beaching" the broken ship, so that the Chinese side will have a reason to tow the broken ship away. In short, by publishing the report, China is essentially trying to transform the geopolitical confrontation at the national level into a law-based enforcement action in the region.
(Philippine garbage sinks to the bottom of the sea)
Under normal circumstances, warships of any country beaching or carrying out illegal activities in the territorial waters of other countries need to be dealt with in accordance with international law and relevant international maritime conventions. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea sets out the rights and obligations of States in their exclusive economic zones, including the responsibility to protect and defend the marine environment. If a warship of one country carries out activities in another country's exclusive economic zone and causes environmental damage, then the responsible party should bear the corresponding responsibilities and obligations under international law.
Therefore, if the report produced by the mainland can fully prove that the Philippine warship has caused a significant negative impact on the environment, then it will provide legitimacy for China's measures such as towing away the broken ship, and at the same time demonstrate to the international community China's sense of responsibility and commitment to the protection of the marine environment. This approach not only contributes to addressing specific environmental issues, but is also an important part of maintaining and advancing the rules-based international maritime order.
Moreover, on the Chinese side, according to the mainland's current Marine Environmental Protection Law, Article 30 stipulates that the marine environmental regulatory authorities have the power to seal and detain any act that causes serious pollution and ecological damage to the marine environment, whether it is a ship, a facility or an object, so as to prevent the further spread of pollution.
In addition, Article 31 also clearly states that if any act causes or is likely to cause environmental pollution or ecological damage in waters under China's jurisdiction outside the waters under China's jurisdiction, the relevant Chinese departments also have the right to take necessary measures to intervene and deal with it.
(The China Coast Guard will have the right to take control measures against illegal acts by the Philippine side)
In short, with this report and China's relevant laws as a basis, the relevant departments of the mainland will be able to legally and reasonably take control measures against the Philippine warship illegally "beached", so as to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the mainland.