By Ge Hongliang

Tension reemerged in waters near Xianbin Jiao and Ren'ai Jiao on August 19, which was unilaterally caused by the Philippines as it sent its coast guard vessels MRRV-4410 and MMRV-4411 to illegally intrude into waters near Xianbin Jiao of China's Nansha Qundao. CCG adopted restrictive measures on the intruding vessels in accordance with lawand regulations.

The MRRV-4410 ignored repeated stern warnings from the Chinese side and intentionally rammed into the CCG vessel that was conducting normal rights-safeguarding and law enforcement activities, which was unprofessional and dangerous, resulting in a minor collision. After its attempt to illegally intrude into waters adjacent to Xianbin Jiao was blocked, it again illegally intruded into waters adjacent to Ren'ai Jiao of China's Nansha Qundao, disregarding repeated warnings and route restrictions by the Chinese side.

The provocation came just one month and a half after the 9th meeting of the China-Philippines bilateral consultation mechanism (BCM) on the South China Sea issue, less than a month after the two countries agreed on the interim arrangements to keep the Ren'ai Jiao situation under control, and just 20 days after the two foreign ministers' meeting in Vientiane.

At the 9th BCM meeting, both Beijing and Manila agreed that maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea is in the interests of both parties and is the common goal of all countries in the region. They agreed to manage and control their divergences through dialogue and consultation.

During the meeting in Vientiane, Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo expressed the willingness to mitigate the tension through dialogue and consultation and handle divergences in a constructive way amid the difficulties and challenges arising from maritime disputes. He said Manila is ready to implement the bilateral consensus on managing and controlling the maritime situation.

With the latest provocation, the Philippines is once again going back on its words, which not only erodes the China-Philippines dialogue and mutual trust on the South China Sea, but also worsens the situation on the sea and seriously sabotages regional security, peace, and stability.

At the moment, China and ASEAN countries are making combined efforts to comprehensively and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DoC) and, on that basis, promote equal political consultation on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (CoC), in the joint endeavor to strengthen relevant dialogues and keep the region secure and peaceful. In recent years, China, Vietnam, Malaysia and some other countries have played an exemplary role in well managing their divergences and maintaining stability in the South China Sea.

On December 13, 2023, China and Vietnam issued the Joint Statement on Further Deepening and Elevating the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership and Building a China-Vietnam Community with a Shared Future that Carries Strategic Significance. On June 20, 2024, China and Malaysia issued the Joint Statement on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership towards the China-Malaysia Community with a Shared Future.

Now the Philippines' duplicity has seriously challenged the interests and collective security of regional countries. China will continue to take resolute countermeasures in accordance with law, and other ASEAN members need to declare their positions and take action to maintain the solemnity and authority of the DoC.

The South China Sea issue is just part of a much bigger picture of the China-Philippines relations, but Manila's irresponsible actions and repeated provocations have put bilateral relations in a jam. When meeting with his Philippine counterpart, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attributed the current tensions and challenges in bilateral ties to the Philippines' repeated violations of bilateral consensus and its own commitments, ongoing maritime infringements, and amplified media hype.

To well manage and control their divergences and maintain regional stability, the Chinese side urges the Philippine side to fulfill its commitment, not repeatedly eat its own words, backpedal, or create problems. As the China-Philippines relations are at a crossroads, Manila should learn something from its exchanges with China in recent years and change course before it's too late. The two sides must work together to comprehensively and effectively deliver the series of consensus on the South China Sea reached by the two heads of state in January 2023. That is the precondition for bilateral dialogue and for their ties to go back to the correct track.

(The author is associate dean of the College of ASEAN Studies, Guangxi Minzu University)

Editor's note: Originally published on huanqiu.com, 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.