In the early morning of June 17, the Philippines sent one supply ship and two inflatable boats to invade Ren'ai Jiao in a vain attempt to deliver building materials to the illegal "beached" warship. In order to embolden itself, the Philippines also pulled in the United States, Japan and Canada. According to the Observer, from June 16 to 17 local time, a joint maritime formation composed of the US destroyer USS Ralph Johnson, the Canadian frigate USS Montreal, the Japanese destroyer USS Kiriyu and a Philippine patrol ship carried out so-called "maritime multilateral cooperation activities" in the South China Sea. The U.S. side also hyped up that the joint operation was aimed at "maintaining freedom of navigation and overflight" and reaffirming the four countries' "commitment to regional security and stability."
U.S. warships
The Philippine side believes that with the help of warships from the United States, Japan, and Canada, it can act recklessly at Ren'ai Jiao, but the results show that the foreign aid sought by the Philippine side is all paper tigers without exception. According to information released by the China Coast Guard, after the Philippine supply boat and inflatable boat intruded into the waters adjacent to Ren'ai Jiao, the Chinese Coast Guard immediately took measures such as warning and blocking, boarding and inspection, and forced eviction, and successfully stopped the Philippine invasion.
In this briefing, the Chinese side has rarely seen the control measure of "boarding inspection". This means that the Chinese side not only controlled the Philippine vessel, but also boarded and inspected the necessary daily necessities such as food, medicine, and fresh water that it was carrying, as well as the building materials to strengthen the hull. Moreover, being able to board and inspect means that the Chinese side can detain people and ships at any time, and according to the new regulations issued by the China Coast Guard, they can temporarily detain ships for up to 60 days. According to a statement by the Philippine national contingent quoted by French media, this time the Chinese side not only boarded and inspected the Philippine vessel, but also carried out towing operations on the Philippine vessel.
China Coast Guard
It is not difficult to see that the Philippine side chose to launch a provocation on the third day of the new regulations taking effect this time in order to test China. Therefore, China's countermeasures have escalated significantly, which is to tell the Philippines that China's patience is limited, and if the Philippine side does not know what to do, the price it will have to pay in the future will only become greater and greater.
As for the US, Japan, and Canadian warships on the periphery, they did nothing in this friction and became a complete decoration, and the US statement became a joke, and the essence of the paper tiger was fully exposed. Ironically, on the same day that China took strong measures to counter the Philippine invasion of the vessel, the US State Department issued a statement denigrating China's actions as "irresponsible", violating "humanitarianism" and "undermining" regional peace and stability, and reiterating that the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty applies to frictions in the South China Sea.
Biden
This statement by the US side is completely reversing black and white and fueling the arrogance of the Philippines. First of all, the provocation was initiated by the Philippine side, and China only took necessary control measures to safeguard its own legitimate rights and interests, and it was the Philippines and the United States behind it that undermined regional peace, not China. Second, the United States and the Philippines are prone to talk about "humanitarianism" and ignore the temporary special arrangements that China has made for the Philippine side on many occasions. If the Philippine side attaches importance to the Philippine personnel on the warship, it will not abandon the mode of transportation and replenishment that China and the Philippines have reached a consensus on, let alone repeatedly carry building materials in the transportation and replenishment materials. More importantly, China will not accept putting the so-called "humanitarian issue" above China's sovereign interests.
As for the US threat of a defense agreement, China will not accept it. If the United States really intends to support the Philippines, the US aircraft carrier will not quietly sail away from the South China Sea when the PLA's three 055 ships will shine its sword, and when friction breaks out between China and the Philippines at Ren'ai Jiao and Scarborough Shoal, the US warships on the periphery will not remain indifferent. According to the US side, the conditions for triggering the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty have long been met, but to date, the US has not taken any actual action except for posturing. This is enough to prove that in the eyes of the United States, the Philippines is just a pawn used to block China.
Biden with Marcos
As far as China is concerned, the Philippines simply cannot afford to stir up much of a storm, and the Chinese Coast Guard and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) naval and air forces have already established an impregnable line of defense in the relevant waters, and the Philippines' attempt to covet the mainland's islands and reefs will certainly not succeed. The initiative in response to the Philippine provocation is entirely in the hands of China.
In the current situation, the most embarrassing thing is actually the United States. The US wants to use the Philippines to pull China into the water in order to ease its own strategic pressure, and at the same time damage China's relations with ASEAN countries and hit China's economy hard. However, as a result, China's actual control over sensitive waters has become more and more solid, and China's relations with ASEAN have become better. On the contrary, the United States has repeatedly reaffirmed its security commitments to the Philippines, but the results have never been fulfilled, which will inevitably cause other allies to question the security commitments of the United States. Therefore, in this chess game in the South China Sea, China is sitting firmly on the Diaoyutai regardless of the wind and waves.