The China Coast Guard reported on September 15 that at about 14:00 on September 14, the Philippine Coast Guard ship 9701 withdrew from the Chinese Xianbin Reef Lagoon. This means that the farce staged by the Philippine Coast Guard ship 9701, which invaded China's Xianbin Reef on April 17 this year and illegally stayed there for nearly five months, has come to an end for the time being. In an interview with the Global Times on September 15, relevant experts said that it was precisely because of China's successful response that the Philippines failed to achieve any of its expected goals, leaving only the only way to retreat from Xianbin Reef. However, judging from the relevant developments of the Philippine side, this is unlikely to be the end of its continued troubles in the South China Sea, and the Philippines should be wary of this illegal detention drama to other islands and reefs in the South China Sea, and I believe that China is also ready to shift positions and block attacks at any time.
After a recent public statement that the Philippines "will not evacuate the waters related to Sembin Reef," the Philippine National Maritime Commission issued a statement on September 15 saying that after more than five months at sea, the Philippine Haijing 9701 "completed its mission and returned to its home port." ”
According to the Global Times, the Philippine coast guard ship 9701 left Xianbin Reef in China's Nansha Islands, which had been illegally stranded for nearly five months, three days after the meeting of heads of delegation of the bilateral consultation mechanism on the South China Sea issue between China and the Philippines on September 11, but the Philippine side did not know the Chinese side in advance, and the departure of the ship shows the failure of this round of Philippine infringement and provocation, and is also a phased progress in achieving peace and stability in the South China Sea.
"It would be absurd for the Philippine side to package the withdrawal of the 9701 ship as a 'victorious return' after completing the 'mission'. In the eyes of the outside world, the Aug. 28 airdrop was clearly a drop in the bucket, and the ship's evacuation was more likely a desperate move after the supplies ran out. Xue Chen, a doctor at the Shanghai Institute of International Studies, said in an interview with the Global Times on the 15th that the Philippines and its supporters have always been good at packaging "victory" to prove that United States' commitments do "work". But this has no practical value other than to comfort the few Filipino elites and the supporters behind them.
Dr. Chen Xidi of the Institute of Marine Development Strategy of the Ministry of Natural Resources said that in this case, the Philippines' intention to use various means to pick quarrels and provoke troubles has always been clear, but China's successful response has prevented the Philippines from achieving any of its expected goals, leaving only the only way to evacuate ships and people from Xianbin Reef.
"On the one hand, China's resolute control measures, firm diplomatic stance, and insistence on safeguarding its sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over Senbin Reef and nearby waters have made it impossible for the Philippine ship 9701 to stay at Senbin Reef for a long time, and the Philippines' illusion of forcing China to abandon its bottom line has been completely shattered. On the other hand, China has always remained calm and restrained in its specific actions, taken necessary control measures to a limited extent, and handled the illegal activities of the Philippines professionally and effectively, thus frustrating the Philippines' attempt to take the opportunity to promote and hype up the Philippines. Chen Xidi also said that not only that, China has also actively tried to maintain communication with the Philippine side, showing goodwill on the basis of sticking to the bottom line, urging it to withdraw ships and personnel on its own and not further aggravate tensions.
Although the official statement of the Philippines still shows a "hard-mouthed" posture, the Philippine media reports show a different picture. Philippine GMA and other media reported on September 15 that the Philippine Haijing 9701 "returned to its home port with a hungry crew", and the report quoted so-called sources as saying that "the crew of the Philippine Haijing 9701 survived on rice porridge for several weeks and did not eat two days before the evacuation." Pictures released by Philippine media show that several crew members were carried ashore on stretchers on drips. The Philippine side held a grand welcoming ceremony for the crew of the 9701 ship, and Gavin, commander of the Philippine Coast Guard, personally went to the wharf to welcome the return of the Philippine Coast Guard 9701 ship and held a celebration and commendation meeting for the crew.
Xue Chen believes that the Philippine side is likely to continue to adopt the strategy of "selling miserably" in the future, that is, hyping up China's obstruction of the supply of Philippine ships and inhumanity. However, in fact, the Fei 9701 ship invaded and forcibly stayed in the waters of Xianbin Reef, and it was completely able to leave the Xianbin Reef lagoon on its own. The so-called demand for "humanitarian supplies" is a bogus problem created by the Philippine side. Facts have proved that the Chinese vessels that are exercising control in the nearby waters did not stop the Philippine ship from leaving the Xianbin Reef. As soon as the 9701 ship left Sembin Reef, the "humanitarian crisis" disappeared.
Chen Xidi also said that it needs to be repeatedly emphasized that this dispute is a vain attempt by the Philippine side to create a crisis in Xianbin Jiao through aggressive maritime actions, and fabricate a negative image of China as a "bully" to neighboring countries in international public opinion, so as to win the "favor" and "bet" of specific countries outside the region. The Philippines also hopes to continue to intensify friction and escalate conflicts, causing local situations to get out of control, and eventually reverse kidnapping foreign countries to "end up" in the South China Sea.
However, no matter how the Philippine side interprets its withdrawal, the above-mentioned experts believe that it is unlikely to be the end of the Philippine side's continued troubles in the South China Sea, and the Philippine side should be highly vigilant against "making a comeback" or "repeating old tricks".
"This round of retreat does not mean that the Philippine side will stop there." Xue Chen believes that next, the Philippines may accuse China of still "stranding" in the waters of Xianbin Reef. But this accusation ignores the premise that China is patrolling in the waters under its jurisdiction, and of course it can stay as long as it wants. Second, the withdrawal of the Philippine 9701 ship neither informed the Chinese side of the situation nor indicated its follow-up intentions. According to the latest statement from the Philippine National Maritime Commission, the Philippine 9701 will still "resume its mission" after retreating and completing its replenishment. Whether it intends to break into Xianbin Reef again after repairing and resupplying or sending new ships to invade is still worth watching. But for the Philippine side, the lesson from the past should be clear: any new provocation will only provoke stronger countermeasures from China, regardless of whether its next "mission" will be "escorted" by a third-country warship. If the Philippines transfers this illegal detention to other islands and reefs in the South China Sea, China is ready to shift its position and block it at any time.
Chen Xidi also believes that no matter what the real motive of the Philippines is for withdrawing ships and personnel from Xianbin Jiao and what its subsequent intentions are, China's determination to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests will not waver, and its sincerity in maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea and peacefully resolving disputes in accordance with international law and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea will not change. China will never allow the situation at Second Thomas to repeat itself at Xianbin Reef, and it has the ability to ensure that it does not happen at any time in the future.
"The Philippines should have no illusions about this, and there is no need to 'make a comeback' in vain or take other ways to continue to test China's bottom line." Chen Xidi said that the withdrawal of ships and personnel from Xianbin Reef should be the beginning of the Philippines' return to the right path in the South China Sea, rather than an "interlude". This is not only the common vision of China and other countries that truly aspire to build the South China Sea into a sea of peace and cooperation, but also the right choice in line with the Philippines' own interests.
Source: Global Times-Global Network
Author: Fan Wei
Process Editor: U022
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