The South China Sea is China's territory and its core interests. In recent days, the Philippines and Vietnam have frequently made provocative voices on the South China Sea issue in an attempt to shake China's sovereignty and rights and interests. In the face of such unreasonable provocations, China will not sit idly by, but will take firm attitudes and forceful measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests and maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.
The Philippines airdropped supplies with obvious intentions
On January 21 this year, the Philippine military used a Cessna C-208B "Caravan" transport plane to airdrop supplies and supplies to the illegal "beached" warship "Sierra Madre". This is the first time since 2014 that the Philippine military has used airdrops to deliver supplies to the Sierra Madre, and it is also a new provocation by the Philippine military on the South China Sea issue.
The USS Malebin is a U.S. World War II-era transport ship launched in 1944 that was towed to Second Thomas Shoal by the Philippine military in 1999 as a pretext for illegally occupying Second Thomas Shoal. Because the ship is old, the Philippine military has always wanted to repair or replace it, but fearing that doing so will cause opposition from China, so it has been adopting a "status quo" strategy, constantly sending supplies and personnel to the ship to maintain its presence.
This airdrop is undoubtedly a provocation by the Philippine military against China and a "double standard" by the Philippine government on the South China Sea issue. Just four days ago, the Philippine government held its eighth bilateral consultation meeting with China on the South China Sea issue, and the two sides agreed to properly manage maritime conflicts and differences through friendly consultations, especially the situation on the ground. Now, the Philippine side has not only broken its promises, but also trumpeted the airdrop, which clearly exposes the real purpose of the Philippine government to "say one thing and do another", that is, it wants to make things happen on the South China Sea issue, create incidents, and bring destabilizing factors to the situation in the South China Sea.
Vietnam followed the trend and took the opportunity to reap the benefits
The Philippine military's airdrop came a day after Vietnam also made a provocative voice over the South China Sea. A spokesman for Vietnam's Foreign Ministry said that Vietnam has sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly Islands and does not recognize or accept the activities of any country on these islands. This is Vietnam's consistent position on the South China Sea issue, and it is also Vietnam's consistent mistake on the South China Sea issue.
Vietnam's sovereignty claims over the Paracel and Nansha Islands have absolutely no historical or legal basis. China was the first to discover, name, develop and operate these archipelagos, and continues to exercise sovereign jurisdiction over them. Historically, Vietnam has recognized China's sovereignty over these islands, and it was not until the 70s of the 20th century that Vietnam began to make illegal claims in an attempt to occupy Chinese territory.
Vietnam's voice on the South China Sea issue this time is likely to be influenced by the Philippines, which wants to take advantage of the United States and the Philippines to follow the trend and provoke disputes in the South China Sea and reap benefits. Vietnam should be soberly aware that doing so will only harm its own interests, undermine China-Vietnam relations, and affect peace and stability in the South China Sea. Vietnam should respect China's sovereignty, rights and interests, stop its erroneous words and deeds on the South China Sea issue, and work with China to properly handle differences through dialogue and consultation, so as to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.
China responded with three sentences to deter provocations
China will not remain silent about the provocations of the Philippines and Vietnam, but has responded to these unreasonable provocations with a firm attitude and forceful measures. Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin pointed out at a regular press conference on the 24th that "China has sufficient historical and legal basis to prove that the Xisha Islands and Nansha Islands are China's territory; China was the first to discover, name, develop and operate these islands and continues to exercise sovereign jurisdiction over them; China has always opposed relevant countries' illegal claims to China's territory and will continue to firmly safeguard its sovereignty." ”
These three sentences illustrate China's sovereign rights and interests in the Nansha and Xisha Islands from the perspectives of history, legal theory and actual control, and also demonstrate China's determination to resolutely defend its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. China's position on the South China Sea issue is consistent, that is, it is willing to properly handle differences through communication and consultation, and work with relevant countries to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, provided that all countries respect China's sovereignty and stop provocative acts that exacerbate regional tensions.
To put it simply, China's willingness to resolve disputes in the South China Sea through peace talks is out of the interest of maintaining regional peace and stability, but this does not mean that China will "turn a blind eye" to provocations by other countries. On the contrary, China is ready to respond head-on to cross-border provocations.