The Philippines has been extremely arrogant in the South China Sea recently, not only holding trilateral talks with the United States and Japan, but also conducting joint military exercises with 16 countries in the near future.
In addition, in this joint military exercise, there are three exercise subjects that can be called a declaration of war against China, so what are these three subjects, and what kind of response will China make?
Recently, the Philippines' activities in the South China Sea have become more and more frequent, and according to relevant reports, the United States and the Philippines will hold this year's "shoulder-to-shoulder" joint military exercise, which will start on April 22 and continue to May 8 local time.
The exercise will involve military forces or military observers from 16 countries, including the United States and the Philippines, with up to 17,000 participants.
Philippine Army Colonel and spokesman Michael Loggico, who was in charge of the exercise, publicly said at a news conference that the exercise would create many "firsts."
First, the largest number of participants in history, and secondly, the Philippine Coast Guard will participate in the exercise for the first time, and for the first time, the exercise will be held outside 12 nautical miles of the Philippines.
In addition, the subjects of this joint military exercise are also very intriguing, and in addition to the subjects of naval operations, scenes such as "retaking islands occupied by hostile forces" have been added, and the purpose of this joint military exercise can be said to be well known.
Obviously, the joint military exercise organized by the United States and the Philippines this time is aimed at Ren'ai Jiao and Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, in order to deal with the possible future issue of seizing the island by force.
From this aspect, it can also be seen what the real intention of the United States and the Philippines is in this joint military exercise, but in this military exercise, there is also a subject called "sinking exercise", that is, sinking a "Chinese-made warship".
This warship is actually a Philippine supply ship named "Lake Calilaya", and the origin of this supply ship is somewhat special, it is the only "Chinese-made" ship on the Philippine Navy.
The ship, formerly known as the "Lapu-Lapu", was a tank carrier built by a shipyard on the mainland for the Philippine National Oil Company, and the ship is also a testimony to previous Sino-Philippine cooperation.
It was only later that the Philippine side saw that the quality of the ship was very good, so it transformed it into a military supply ship and changed its name to "Lake Calilaya", which was not decommissioned from the Philippine Navy until 2020.
In this joint exercise organized by the United States and the Philippines, the transport ship will become the target of the sinking exercise, and it can be said that such an act is already a serious provocation to the mainland.
Although the Philippines has been claiming that such a move was not intentional, and said that the military exercise was not aimed at any foreign country, including China.
However, such remarks by the Philippine side are not convincing, and the purpose expressed in their joint military exercise is very obvious, so the mainland has also given a strong response.
On April 17, Lin Jian, spokesman for the mainland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular press conference that the mainland had already made clear its solemn position on the joint military exercise organized by the United States and the Philippines.
The Philippines should understand that drawing foreign countries into the South China Sea is an act of luring the wolf into the South China Sea, and relying on foreign countries to threaten force and provoke confrontation will only increase tensions in the South China Sea.
The solution to the South China Sea issue should not involve foreign countries, and what the Philippines is doing so far will not help to resolve the South China Sea issue except to undermine regional stability.
And what is the ultimate goal of the US side, is it really just to help the Philippines in the South China Sea disputes, and I hope that the Philippine side can know itself and stop being a pawn of the US side.
The mainland adheres to the principle of resolving the South China Sea issue peacefully through communication, but if the Philippines continues to provoke trouble, then the mainland will also take necessary measures.
In response to the joint military exercise organized by the United States and the Philippines, in addition to issuing a statement, the mainland will also conduct military exercises in the South China Sea to show the outside world that the mainland has a strict attitude toward the South China Sea issue.
According to a report by China's Maritime Safety Administration, the mainland will conduct militarized training in parts of the South China Sea from April 24 to April 27, during which time it will not be allowed to sail.
The issue of territorial integrity has always been an untouchable red line for the mainland, and the Philippines' recent provocative actions in the South China Sea will eventually bring unacceptable consequences to itself.
As for the so-called mutual defense agreement signed between the Philippines and the United States, this kind of thing cannot threaten China, and if the Philippines makes any move to cross the red line, the mainland will certainly give the other side the most severe response.
Bibliography:
China Maritime Safety Administration website - April 20, 2024 "Navigation Warning! Military training in some waters of the South China Sea is prohibited"
Huanqiu.com - April 19, 2024 "Editorial: Using a Chinese-built ship as a target ship for military exercises, the Philippines' trick is very funny"
Global Network - April 19, 2024 "The U.S.-Philippine military exercise will sink a 'Chinese-made' warship, and the Philippine military claims that it is "not intentional"
Beijing Daily Client - April 20, 2024 "Sharp Commentary|Drama Essence Possession, Who Will You Watch It?"