By Hu Junyan
The South China Sea has recently been embroiled in another wave of turmoil. Two civilian vessels and two coast guard vessels of the Philippines illegally intruded into the waters near Ren'ai Jiao of China's Nansha Islands without the permission of the Chinese government and engaged in reckless collisions with the Chinese on-site law enforcement coast guard vessels and fishing boats on normal operations. Not only that, the Philippine side threw the blame back at China accusing the latter of deliberate provocation. Interestingly, the United States Department of State (DOS) immediately issued a statement denouncing China's legitimate and lawful actions in defending its rights and cited the provisions of the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) to instigate the infringement and provocation moves of the Philippine side.
From any perspective, it all seems like a pre-planned collision incident jointly performed in concert by the US and the Philippines. The video footage released by the China Coast Guard (CCG) showed that on October 22, the Philippine ships ignored the stern warning of the Chinese side and approached the Chinese vessels in a dangerous manner, leading to a collision incident. The CCG took necessary law enforcement measures against the Philippine vessels, acting in a lawful, professional and restrained way.
As for the sovereignty of Ren'ai Jiao, the international community has long reached a consensus that it is part of China's Nansha Islands and Chinese territory in accordance with international laws including the Charter of the United Nations. Twenty-four years ago, a Philippine warship illegally grounded on Ren'ai Jiao, which seriously violated China's territorial sovereignty. In order to solve the issue, China has maintained close coordination with the Philippine side through multiple levels and channels with utmost restraint and patience, urging the party not to deliver construction materials to the illegally "grounded"warship and tow it away as soon as possible. The two sides had long effectively managed the situation on the Ren'ai Jiao through communication and reached an understanding in this regard.
However, since the beginning of 2023, the Philippines has made constant moves on the South China Sea issue, repeatedly trespassing into waters neighboring China's Huangyan Island and Ren'ai Jiao and deliberately creating trouble in the region. The country also willfully spreads false information in an attempt to seek sympathy in the international media and craft a narrative that falsely depicts China as a bully towards smaller nations.
According to scholars committed to the Southeast Asia issue, the US is the biggest driving force behind the Philippines' unusual moves. Currently, the US is accelerating efforts in its so-called "Indo-Pacific strategy" to besiege and contain China, including Southeast Asian countries as a key link to its plot. For some time previously, US senior officials had frequently visited these countries, with the important intention of forcing relevant parties to take a side between China and the US, in tandem with souring their relations with China and undermining regional peace and stability by exploiting the South China Sea disputes.
Among ASEAN countries, the Philippines has a special relationship with the US. It used to be a colony of the latter, and the US still has considerable influence over the foreign and security policies of this ally today. Since the new government took office in June 2022, the Philippines has demonstrated a distinct pro-Washington attitude under increased pressure and inducement from the other side.
In February 2023, the Philippines agreed to open up access to another four military bases to the US military. In April, the two countries held the largest-ever "shoulder-to-shoulder" military exercise. In these days, the US blatantly incited and supported the Philippines to reinforce the "grounded" warship in Ren'ai Jiao, and even sent military aircraft and warships to cooperate at sea while repeatedly threatening China in the name of fulfilling the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty. It is obvious that the US intends to make the Philippines a vanguard in its endeavor to challenge China's sovereignty and interests on the South China Sea issue.
From the perspective of the Philippines, some political forces in the country believe that the US would certainly support them in the event of altercations and confrontations with China. It is also the main motivation behind the country's recent frequent provocations in the South China Sea. However, as some analyses have pointed out, this is simply an unrealistic fantasy of the Philippines. From the"Saigon moment" to the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the US has long unequivocally indicated to all its allies through actions that they cannot count on the country.
After all, the issue of Ren'ai Jiao is a bilateral matter between China and the Philippines, and the US has no ground to make judgments or intervene as an outsider. The Philippines should abandon the delusion of relying on the US at the earliest time, stop making trouble and provocations at sea, and tow away the illegally "grounded" warship as soon as possible, working with China to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and safeguard the common interests of regional countries. China does not wish to make trouble, but won't shy away if trouble comes. China firmly upholds its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. The Philippines should correctly recognize that it's akin to pushing itself into a fiery pit by acting as a hatchet man for others.
Editor's note: Originally published on cri.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
