philippine ship deliberately rams chinese coast guard ship and is countered
2024-09-02
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our reporter fan wei and our special correspondent in the philippines fan fan
the china coast guard issued a notice on august 31, saying that on that day, the philippine coast guard 9701 ship, which had illegally stayed at china's xianbin reef, weighed anchor and continued to maneuver in the xianbin reef lagoon, provoking and causing trouble, and deliberately rammed the chinese coast guard ship in an unprofessional and dangerous manner, resulting in a collision. the responsibility lies entirely with the philippines. the global times reporter noted that the philippines' actions once again showed that the philippines is highly connected with some western countries. the on-site images obtained by the reporter showed that during the philippines' infringement action, a us p-8a reconnaissance aircraft flew low, interfering with china's rights protection and law enforcement actions, and providing on-site situation intelligence support for the philippine coast guard ship. ironically, after receiving "support" from some western countries outside the south china sea for this provocation, the philippines actually complained that southeast asian countries did not dance to their "beat".
at least three collisions occurred in two weeks
xianbin reef has quickly become a flashpoint in tensions in the south china sea. radio france internationale said on august 31 that this was at least the third collision between china and the philippines in xianbin reef and surrounding areas in less than two weeks.
after the provocative and infringing actions on august 31 were thwarted by china, philippine coast guard spokesman tariela declared at a press conference that afternoon that a chinese coast guard ship "deliberately rammed" the philippine coast guard ship 9701 and collided with it three times. according to photos released by the philippine coast guard, the 9701 ship was damaged, including what appeared to be a large hole in the hull. tariela said that since the damage is still being assessed, details cannot be released at present, and it is necessary to send a team "to assess and ensure the seaworthiness of the philippine coast guard ship 9701." he also threatened that despite the chinese coast guard's "harassment, intimidation and escalation actions", the philippines will not withdraw its ships.
the philippine national maritime commission stated at the same press conference: "the philippines will make full use of the rules-based international order and continue to seek diplomatic channels and mechanisms to peacefully resolve disputes." the commission's spokesman "accused" china of unnecessary countermeasures because the philippines "was conducting peaceful and lawful cruises within its own jurisdiction" and the philippines will continue to carry out relevant maritime operations.
"we once again warn the philippines to face up to reality, abandon illusions, and immediately withdraw on its own. this is the only correct way. do not misjudge the situation, create hotspots, or escalate the situation. otherwise, all consequences arising therefrom will be borne by the philippines." regarding the latest conflict, china coast guard spokesman liu dejun said that china has indisputable sovereignty over the nansha islands, including the xianbin reef, and its surrounding waters. the chinese coast guard will take necessary measures to resolutely thwart all infringing acts of provoking trouble and causing trouble at multiple locations, and resolutely safeguard the country's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.
non-regional countries continue to interfere in south china sea affairs
the philippines' false narrative has received positive responses from countries outside the south china sea, including the united states, japan, and australia. on august 31, local time, us state department spokesman miller issued a statement "condemning" china's countermeasures against the philippines, saying that "the united states stands with its ally the philippines." miller claimed that china's actions "threaten the freedom of navigation and overflight of all countries." he reiterated that article 4 of the 1951 us-philippines mutual defense treaty applies to situations where ships or aircraft of the philippine armed forces and coast guard are attacked by force anywhere in the south china sea. us ambassador to the philippines carlson also issued a statement on the same day, claiming that the philippine coast guard ship "was conducting legitimate operations in the philippines' exclusive economic zone, but was deliberately rammed by china."
in addition to the united states, countries such as australia and japan have also spoken out to "support" the philippines' infringement actions. according to reports from the australian financial review and japan's kyodo news on september 1, australian ambassador to the philippines liu haijing claimed on the social platform x that australia, like the philippines, is "concerned" about china's actions at xianbin reef and that "repeated collisions are unacceptable and dangerous." japanese ambassador to the philippines kazuya endo also wrote on x that "japan is a 'stakeholder country in the south china sea'," "japan opposes attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force," and "japan supports the philippines and the rule of law at sea."
earlier, the japanese ambassador to the philippines had made irresponsible remarks about the collision between china and the philippines at the xianbin reef. the chinese embassy in the philippines responded that whenever an incident occurred in the south china sea, the japanese ambassador always quickly made a high-profile statement, ignored the truth, and made groundless accusations against china. we urge japan to deeply reflect on history, reflect on its own words and deeds, do more things that are conducive to regional peace and stability, and strive to become a truly independent country that wins the trust of its asian neighbors and the international community.
the philippines is delusionally hoping to gain support from countries in the region
in sharp contrast to the constant meddling of non-regional countries in the south china sea affairs, regional countries are cautious in handling the south china sea issue. the philippine gma news network reported on september 1 that tariela said on a program that day that the philippines' neighbors seemed to remain silent on the south china sea issue. "sometimes it is frustrating that the countries that support our position in the west philippine sea are all non-regional countries (and regions) - the united states, japan, australia and the european union." tariela complained that it was "unusual" that the philippines' neighbors remained silent, "my dream is that southeast asian countries can finally unite and fight against china together."
the philippines' attempt to unilaterally change the status quo of xianbin reef and escalate tensions in the south china sea is a "betrayal" of asean countries. dr. chen xidi of the institute of marine development strategy of the ministry of natural resources believes that the actions taken by the philippines on xianbin reef clearly violate the provisions of the declaration on the conduct of parties in the south china sea, including article 4's requirement for peaceful settlement of disputes and article 5's requirement to exercise self-restraint and not affect peace and stability in the south china sea. chen xidi told the global times reporter that in order to truly achieve the goal of "promoting a peaceful, friendly and harmonious environment in the south china sea" in the declaration on the conduct of parties in the south china sea, and to avoid further escalation of the situation and playing with fire, the philippines should seriously consider stopping its irresponsible, selfish and short-sighted provocations, and stop continuing to stage a "miserable" farce on xianbin reef at the expense of its own personnel's safety. ▲
