By Han Jitao
On the evening of December 4, the China Coast Guard (CCG) released a scene video which showed that Philippine government vessel 3003 made unsafe approaches toward CCG ship 3302 and caused a collision. On that day, the Philippine Coast Guard ships, official ships and several fishing boats intruded into the territorial waters of China's Huangyan Dao. Just a few days ago, several Philippine ships illegally gathered in the waters of Houteng Jiao of Nansha Qundao of China under the pretext of fishing and brought along media reporters for a staged photo op to hype it. The CCG took necessary management and control measures against the Philippine ships in accordance with the law and regulations.
From Houteng Jiao to Huangyan Dao, why does the Philippines initiate a new wave of provocations in the South China Sea at this particular time? Observers noted that on November 8, Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr signed the so-called "Maritime Zones Act" and "Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act," illegally including most of the islands, reefs, and waters of China's Huangyan Dao and Nansha Qundao within the Philippines' maritime jurisdiction in an attempt to legitimize the illegal arbitration ruling on the South China Sea dispute through domestic legislation. Less than a month later, the Philippines launched new incursions in the South China Sea as a substantive move to complement its legislative infringement.
Another context is that the US acknowledged in late November that they deployed a so-called "Task Force-Ayungin" composed of US troops in the Philippines. This emboldened the Philippine side to take more aggressive maritime actions in an attempt to achieve multiple objectives.
Analysts pointed out that the Philippines' provocative actions at sea are consistent with the Marcos administration's provocative policy on the South China Sea issue. The most direct purpose of this policy is to "get the upper hand" on the South China Sea issue through so-called entanglement, maintain the heat of the South China Sea issue in the global public opinion, and accumulate materials for smearing China and exaggerating the "China threat" narrative.
China deposited to the UN the Statement on Baselines of Territorial Sea Adjacent to Huangyan Dao and Chart on December 2. By doing this, China fulfilled its obligations as a State Party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and exercised sovereignty and administrative jurisdiction over Huangyan Dao. On the same day, the Philippines once again made provocations in the South China Sea, apparently trying to test what kind of rights protection and law enforcement measures China would take after publishing the baseline of the territorial sea of Huangyan Dao. By stirring up troubles, the Marcos administration attempted to divert domestic conflicts and seek political self-interest, and to solidify its illegal gains and expand its illegal claims in the South China Sea. At the same time, it also reflects the Philippines' concerns and anxiety about the future direction of Philippine-U.S. relations, as it tries to remind or even "kidnap" the U.S. by provoking trouble at sea, hoping that the next U.S. administration will give it more substantial support.
For the South China Sea region, the Philippines' repeated provocations will bring more negative impacts on managing maritime disputes between China and the Philippines and their bilateral relations, and cause instability to the South China Sea situation. However, this will not fundamentally overturn the peace and stability in the South China Sea, nor will it affect the freedom and safety of navigation in the region.
As a responsible major country, China's thinking and position on handling the South China Sea issue remain consistent and stable. China has always insisted on resolving the South China Sea dispute through negotiations and consultations with the countries directly involved. At the same time, China is fully prepared for all possible contingencies regarding the China-Philippine maritime dispute and continues to firmly safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. If the Philippines is obsessed with making troubles, it will pay a well-deserved painful price.
As for some external countries that have supported the Philippines to make troubles in the South China Sea, they have never viewed the South China Sea issue based on the merits and historical backgrounds of the matter. Instead, they have looked at China through "tinted glasses" and used "double standards" to attack and smear China's South China Sea policy. However, they cannot represent the international community, and they run counter to ASEAN's overall desire for peace and stability in the South China Sea.
Editor's note: Originally published on news.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.
