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Against the backdrop of escalating disputes in the South China Sea, the Philippines has once again made a high-profile announcement to send new ships to Sembin Reef in an attempt to re-establish its presence in the strategic location.
Officials claimed that the operation had successfully bypassed Chinese surveillance and was unhindered.
However, it is incomprehensible that the Chinese side has remained unusually silent on this.
Did the Philippines really succeed in sneak attacking? Or is it all just self-deception?
The Philippines claims the successful deployment of new ships
The dispute in the South China Sea is no longer a matter of a day or two, especially Xianbin Reef, which is used as a "game field" by China and the Philippines.
This area is not only rich in resources, but also located on important shipping lanes.
The Philippines has been trying to assert its sovereignty over Senbin Reef for years.
Every once in a while, the Philippines would send ships to go around there, even trying to stay for a long time.
But in the face of China's increasingly powerful coast guard, the ships were essentially driven out as soon as they went.
Previously, Philippine warships were blocked by the Chinese coast guard for months, and finally had to withdraw in disgrace because they could not get supplies.
Recently, the Philippines has made a new move, sending a new ship in bad weather, claiming to be "returning" to Sembin Reef.
This operation seems to carry a spirit of not admitting defeat.
Philippine government officials also spoke out, saying the ship was there to "maintain a presence" in the area and that the deployment was important.
Clearly, the Philippines is not only trying to raise its reputation at home through this action, but also to demonstrate its "determination" to the international community.
As soon as these words came out, the media and the public exploded, after all, this is a hot topic.
But the question is, is it really that smooth?
First, Philippine officials looked quite confident this time, describing a "successful deployment" and emphasizing that the operation had not been obstructed by China.
But interestingly, they are secretive when it comes to explaining the specifics.
When asked by the media about the specific location of the ship and the actual situation of its deployment, the Philippine side always replied vaguely, saying that it was a "confidential operation" and could not disclose too many details.
This kind of response makes people feel a little empty-hearted.
After all, if it's really a big win, why not show it publicly?
What is even more puzzling is that the Philippines' claim of "successful deployment" this time does not seem to be in line with the actual situation.
The reef is constantly patrolled by Chinese coast guard ships and fishing boats, and China's surveillance system is very sophisticated, including satellites in the sky, drones, and even various advanced radars.
This whole system can be described as a "net of heaven and earth", and few ships can sneak through without being detected.
And the Philippine side actually claimed that their ship did not encounter any interception from China?
That sounds a little too idealistic.
In order to disguise the "low profile" of the operation, the Philippines also specifically mentioned that they turned off the Automatic Identification System (AIS).
This AIS system is the position signal sent by the ship when it is operating at sea, and if it is turned off, it will not be so easy for other ships and the monitoring system on shore to find out where you are.
This may sound like a clever move, but the question is, can you evade China's surveillance with such a little bit of technology?
China's deployment in the South China Sea does not rely solely on AIS signals to track targets.
Today's technology is much more advanced than in the past, and the monitoring capabilities of satellites and drones far exceed those of traditional AIS signal monitoring.
Therefore, the "cleverness" of the Philippines to shut down AIS this time is, in the final analysis, like covering your eyes and pretending that others can't see you.
Despite the high-profile announcement by the Philippines that they have successfully completed the operation, there are still many questions about what the actual situation is.
Some people believe that the so-called "successful deployment" of the Philippines this time is more of a "performance" for the domestic people to see.
The pressure on Marcos Jr. has been on the back of late, especially in the South China Sea, where the government must be tough enough to quell domestic voices of discontent with China.
However, in practice, they found that China's power was far beyond their imagination.
So this kind of symbolic action became the best option - not to take too many risks, but also to establish a "tough guy" image in the country.
The Chinese side remained silent
The Philippines announced that they had successfully deployed a new ship at Sembin Reef, but China did not say much, which made many people feel that something was wrong.
After all, China's attitude in the South China Sea has always been resolute, especially when it comes to territorial disputes, and it tends not to allow the other side to provoke at will.
China's "silence" this time seems a bit unusual.
Does that mean China is acquiescing to the Philippines' actions?
Actually, it's not that simple.
China's silence actually reveals three meanings.
First, the Philippines' so-called "successful deployment" is seen by China as nothing more than a political show for its own amusement, and does not pose a real threat at all.
After all, the situation near Sembin Reef has always been dominated by China.
No matter how many ships the Philippines sends over, all it can do is go around the periphery, and there is no way to really affect China's control in the region.
What's more, China's surveillance capabilities in the South China Sea are so strong that the Chinese side already knows what Philippine ships are doing before they even reach the vicinity of Sembin Reef.
Now that everything is under control, the Chinese side feels that this Philippine action may not be worth mentioning at all, and there is no need to come out and express its position at the first time.
Second, remaining silent may also be an attempt to expose the Philippines itself.
After all, every time the Philippines makes a move, it declares "success" in a high-profile manner, and this time is no exception.
But judging from outside surveillance, it seems that Philippine ships have not really entered the core area of Sembin Reef.
The International Monitoring System (IMS) also found no Philippine vessels approaching the area.
China may have seen through this and believed that the Philippines' action was more for domestic political needs and had no practical effect at all.
Therefore, China is not in a hurry to react, but chooses to observe and let the Philippines play its own tricks to the end.
Third, there is also the possibility that China is temporarily holding its position in order to avoid providing an excuse for United States and other countries to intervene in the current international situation.
Coincidentally, at the time when the Philippines announced its successful deployment, the USS Roosevelt of United States entered Philippine waters.
While taking advantage of the momentum of United States, the Philippines is making small moves at Xianbin Jiao, apparently trying to embolden itself in this way and add some bargaining chips to the South China Sea issue.
China's choice to remain silent in this context may also be to avoid being passive internationally, especially at a sensitive moment of United States involvement.
China does not want the Philippines' small actions to trigger a larger international dispute, which will instead give the outside world a chance to see the excitement.
epilogue
Overall, the Philippines' so-called "successful deployment" operation may not be worth a big deal for China at all.
China's silence is more of a wait to see how the Philippines can justify itself, after all, there are few substantive actions and effects.
As far as China is concerned, the situation in the South China Sea is still in its own hands, and no matter how much the Philippines tosses, this situation will not be easily changed.
Resources:
The Philippines sends new ships to disputed waters in the South China Sea- Sputnik news agency of Russia