A few days ago, a Philippine vessel trespassed into the waters adjacent to Ren'ai Jiao in China's Nansha Islands without authorization, and was controlled by the mainland coast guard in accordance with the law.
According to authoritative information released by the mainland coast guard, the Philippine side has repeatedly ignored China's solemn warnings, blatantly violated the "International Rules for Avoiding Collisions at Sea", and adopted non-professional and dangerous methods to approach China's ships in normal navigation, which ultimately led to the occurrence of collision accidents, and the responsibility lies entirely with the Philippine side.
After the incident, some media exposed the relevant details of the incident. According to reports, the Philippine side dispatched six ships with the intention of carrying out the task of replenishing and rotating the "beached warships."
However, due to the misconduct of the Philippine ships, the mission ended in a complete failure. Not only was the replenishment mission not completed, but not even a single ship was able to get close to the "beached warship".
In the face of repeated warnings to no avail, the Chinese Coast Guard took decisive action and quickly approached the rigid inflatable boat of the Philippine Navy's special operations group by speedboat.
In the process, there was a situation of unarmed seizure of firearms, and at the same time there was an unfortunate collision between the two ships, which may have been the collision accident mentioned in the statement.
As a result of the accident, eight pistols of the Philippine army were captured by our side, eight of them fell and were injured in the impact, and one of the soldiers had his finger pinched off.
In order to avoid obstructing the execution of official duties, the main command ship of the Philippine Navy was firmly tied to a cable and towed to a safe distance after being surrounded by our coast guard.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, according to sources, the Philippine government has chosen to keep a low profile in order to avoid further escalation of tensions.
At the same time, an atmosphere of frustration pervades the Philippine Navy, which is clearly disappointed and frustrated by this failed mission.
Agence France-Presse and Reuters carried out a comprehensive report after the incident.
The Philippine military issued a statement the next day, claiming that the Chinese Coast Guard ship "deliberately rammed Philippine Navy personnel at high speed while carrying out rotation and replenishment tasks on the beached warship, resulting in serious injuries to one Philippine Navy personnel."
However, judging by the known facts, such accusations are clearly untenable.
In a statement, the Philippine military further stated that it "strongly disagrees with the CCG's "continued provocations and unprofessional behavior against legitimate humanitarian missions."
However, they remained silent about the specific injuries of the wounded soldiers, which undoubtedly raised questions about the veracity of the Philippine statement.
According to in-depth reports by foreign media, the wounded Filipino soldier is named Jeffrey Facundo, a member of the Philippine Navy's special forces. Shortly after the incident, he was rushed to the Western Military Region Command Hospital in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, for treatment.
In recognition of his heroic performance, the Chief of the General Staff of the Philippine Army, Romeo Brawner, Jr., personally awarded him the Medal of the Wounded.
However, the soldier is facing a difficult life after retirement due to the loss of his fingers, and the meager pension may be difficult to support his family expenses, which is undoubtedly a huge challenge for his future life.
In addition, according to a supplementary report by the Philippine online media GMA, the Chinese side seized four rigid inflatable boats during the handling of the incident.
However, after negotiations between the two sides, the Chinese side has returned the vessels. Still, the Filipino side doesn't seem to be satisfied with that.
Brauner's and Alfonso Torres, Jr., commander of the Western Command of the Philippines, openly demanded that China return the eight seized guns, and this unreasonable demand is obviously a provocation to China's sovereignty and rights and interests.
At the regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in response to questions from reporters, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian made it clear that the Philippines' insistence on violating Ren'ai Jiao in China's Nansha Islands despite China's dissuasion was the direct cause of the incident.
He further pointed out that although the Philippine side claimed to be only transporting daily necessities, it was actually secretly transporting construction materials and even weapons and ammunition in an attempt to occupy Ren'ai Jiao for a long time. China strongly condemns such aggression and urges the Philippines to immediately stop its infringement and provocation.
China will continue to resolutely safeguard its sovereign rights and interests in accordance with the law, and will never allow any country to infringe upon China's territorial and maritime rights and interests.
As the incident continued to unfold, the U.S. State Department quickly issued a statement blatant accusing China of "acting irresponsibly and escalating the situation."
At the same time, the United States also reiterated to the Philippines the position of the U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty, asserting that an armed attack on the Philippine Coast Guard anywhere in the South China Sea would trigger the mutual defense mechanism.
Such biased rhetoric in favor of the Philippines has undoubtedly exacerbated tensions in the region.
After the United States made its statement, France, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, Canada, Japan, South Korea and other countries also followed suit and criticized China, and even demanded that China recognize the so-called "South China Sea arbitration". This kind of disregard for the facts and interference in China's internal affairs is truly outrageous.
It is worth noting, however, that the Philippine side has taken a rather subtle approach. Cabesa, director of the Organization for International Development and Security Cooperation, a Philippine think tank, made it clear that now is not the right time to invoke the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty.
He stressed that the Philippines does not want to provoke a war, and it may be wiser to seek a peaceful solution through diplomatic channels.
This voice of reason undoubtedly offers a glimmer of hope for easing the current tensions.
This incident reminds us once again that disputes and conflicts between States should be resolved through peaceful, rational and cooperative means.
Any attempt to defend one's own interests through aggression and provocation is futile.
China has shown great restraint and patience in the South China Sea. If the Philippines continues to stubbornly provoke China's bottom line, the consequences could go far beyond the seizure of ships and guns.
We hope that the Philippines will have a clear understanding of the situation, pull back from the precipice, and work with China to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.