The South China Sea is back in the face of emergencies! The Philippine ship exploded near Scarborough Shoal, causing two people to be severely burned, and the Chinese coast guard decisively came to the rescue. Some Philippine media maliciously smeared, saying that the mainland coast guard obstructed the Philippine rescue, and the Philippine official personally thanked the Chinese coast guard for its assistance.
On the 29th, the engine of a fishing boat in the Philippines suddenly exploded and caught fire, injuring eight fishermen on board, two of whom were seriously burned, and the fishing boat was almost scrapped and eventually had to sink. The Philippine Coast Guard immediately sent a large patrol ship to the rescue, while the Chinese Coast Guard acted quickly, sending two motorboats to observe and deliver supplies. Through radio communication, the Philippine side expressed its gratitude to the China Coast Guard for its timely humanitarian assistance.
It can be seen from the whole course of the incident that the China Coast Guard's handling of the matter is lawful and reasonable. In the face of emergencies, the China Coast Guard first fulfilled its duty to protect its sovereignty over territorial waters, rather than taking immediate and radical measures. This mature and calm way of coping with the situation deserves high recognition.
Imagine if the situation were reversed and the Chinese ship entered Philippine territorial waters without notice, would the Philippine side tolerate such a move? Apparently not. The Philippine media's accusation that the Chinese coast guard "obstructed rescue" is very ridiculous.
Philippine officials also made it clear that the Chinese coast guard ship promptly warned the Philippine ship of intruding near Scarborough Shoal, but did not stop the Philippine ship's movement. On the contrary, after learning about the emergency situation after the explosion of the fishing boat, the Chinese coast guard was very cooperative, not only did not hinder the Philippine rescue, but also allowed it to continue the search and rescue operation.
However, some Philippine media did not report the truth, but instead spread rumors that the Chinese coast guard was obstructing the rescue operation. These remarks not only created unnecessary misunderstandings, but also had a worsening effect on the incident. However, after the information between the two sides became transparent, the Philippine media had to admit that the Chinese coast guard did assist, and also indirectly recognized China's sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal.
Although Philippine officials said that the explosion was due to a faulty engine of a fishing boat, some media speculated that the explosion may have been caused by low-quality fuel. So, is there something else behind this explosion? Is it a "small calculation" by the Philippine government in order to try to blockade Scarborough Shoal, as some speculations suggest?
Scarborough Shoal and its surrounding waters have long been a sensitive area in Sino-Philippine relations, and the Philippines' coveting of these islands has been an open secret. In recent years, Philippine warships have repeatedly tried to forcibly intrude into China's territorial waters, and there have been many acts of sneaking intrusion, forcibly breaking in, and even landing on islands to provoke.
So, if we think about it from a different angle, is it possible that this fishing boat explosion is another "self-directed" bitter ploy by the Philippines to test China's response?
If you think about it carefully, the explosion of the Philippine fishing boat may not be a simple mechanical failure, but more likely a "pathfinder". If China directly allows the Philippines to act, the Philippines may intensify its efforts in the future, further encroaching on China's waters and reefs.
Even if this is really an accident, we cannot rule out that the Philippines will use the "bitter meat trick" to provoke China's sovereignty in the future. For example, they may repeat their old tactics by sending fishing boats close to China's territorial waters to create the illusion that they "need to be rescued", so as to bring in more official vessels and patrol boats into China's sovereign waters, and then rely on excuses such as the need to "rest" and wait for "rescue or supplies."
If the Philippine government does try to gradually encroach on China's islands and reefs in a similar way, then we need a more resolute and decisive response.
In addition to continuing to maintain maritime patrols and monitoring, and strengthening the ability to respond quickly to emergencies, we also need to use technical means to monitor the situation in real time to ensure that any changes are grasped at the first time. For similar emergencies, a special rapid response mechanism can be established to ensure that it is effectively dealt with in the shortest possible time.
Of course, in order to prevent the Philippine media from splashing dirty water again, China needs to record the entire process of law enforcement, and then disclose the truth openly and transparently through international media and diplomatic channels to curb the malicious hype of the other side.
The South China Sea issue will not be resolved overnight, but China has absolute military power and economic superiority in the South China Sea, and no matter what means the Philippines takes, it will be difficult to shake this basic pattern.