On August 26 and 27, the Philippine side once again dispatched three coast guard ships and fisheries administration vessels to conduct a "forced entry" operation, attempting to resupply the stranded ship at Ren'ai Reef, but failed again under the interception of the Chinese Coast Guard. This incident is not over. On August 28, the Philippine House of Representatives held an inquiry session on this matter. Philippine Foreign Minister Lazaro publicly admitted to the parliament that the Philippines had previously reached a "temporary arrangement" agreement with China regarding the resupply of the stranded ship at Ren'ai Reef, which included "information exchange," meaning the Philippines needed to report the types of supplies they were going to transport. This caused a huge uproar in the Philippines because this statement exposed the long-standing lie maintained by President Marcos Jr.'s government and military: that each successful resupply of the stranded ship was an "achievement" obtained through the military and coast guard's breakthrough of the Chinese blockade, a "feat." The Philippines even awarded those involved in the resupply missions.

(Philippine Foreign Minister Lazaro publicly admitted the "temporary arrangement" between China and the Philippines)

So what is this "temporary arrangement"? As is well known, during the tenure of former Philippine President Duterte, relations between the Philippines and China were good. Regarding the issue of the stranded ship at Ren'ai Reef left behind by the previous Philippine government, China, out of humanitarian considerations, reached a "gentleman's agreement" with the Philippines. Every time the Philippines conducted a resupply mission to the ship, it would notify China in advance, and the resupply would be completed under close monitoring by the Chinese Coast Guard. At the same time, China also prohibited the transportation of construction materials and weapons and equipment. During former President Duterte's term, there was generally no trouble in the South China Sea. In May 2022, President Marcos Jr. was elected as the president of the Philippines. Initially, he tried to improve relations with China, but soon after, under the influence of the United States, he began to provoke China's sovereignty in the South China Sea, with a focus on breaking into Ren'ai Reef, doing so periodically.

(The detailed content of the "temporary arrangement" between China and the Philippines published by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in July 2024)

In response, China revised the "Coast Guard Law," allowing the Chinese Coast Guard to take compulsory measures such as forced removal and setting up temporary exclusion zones for foreign vessels entering territorial waters in accordance with the law. In March 2024, when Philippine vessels broke into Ren'ai Reef, China implemented water cannon removal based on domestic and international law, setting a precedent for subsequent enforcement. To counter the lies of the Philippine military, we pointed out that they violated the "gentleman's agreement" from the past. The public in the Philippines was in an uproar, and President Marcos Jr. personally denied the existence of this "gentleman's agreement." However, in May 2024, China cited past negotiation records and confirmation documents from the Philippine Western Command, taking the initiative in the international public opinion arena. Some of these documents were made with the current government, and President Marcos Jr. could not blame former President Duterte. As a result, on May 18, 2024, General Carlos, the commander of the Philippine Western Command who had reached a "new resupply model" with Chinese diplomats, was dismissed.

(General Carlos, commander of the Philippine Western Command, was dismissed for reaching a "new resupply model" with Chinese diplomats)

However, the "impenetrable wall" built by the Chinese Coast Guard in the South China Sea prevented the Philippines from breaking through. Eventually, in July 2024, the Marcos government was forced to reach a "temporary arrangement" agreement with China to manage the situation at Ren'ai Reef. On July 22, the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs publicly introduced the specific contents of this "temporary arrangement," including notifying China in advance and allowing the Philippines to carry out resupply only after being checked by China on site. China will monitor the entire process, while prohibiting the transportation of construction materials onto the ship.

(Meeting records of the communication between Chinese and Philippine Western Command commanders, AI translation, with some translation errors)

After this, according to the public information of the Chinese Coast Guard, the Philippines carried out eight resupply operations on the stranded ship at Ren'ai Reef on July 27, September 27, November 15, December 17, January 24, March 4, April 9, and May 20, 2025, all under our supervision. However, the Philippine government and military still did not stop their "small tricks": on one hand, they downplayed the existence of the "temporary arrangement" (few Filipinos know about this agreement), and on the other hand, they continued to spread lies to "take credit," almost every time they claimed that they had broken through the Chinese blockade to complete the resupply. This may be one of the KPIs that President Marcos Jr. must fulfill for the U.S. government. Such boasting behavior has led the Filipino public to mistakenly believe that the Philippines' strength surpasses that of China.

(The "Mountains of the Mother" ship stranded at Ren'ai Reef can't last much longer)

What consequences will the truth spoken by the Philippine Foreign Minister in Congress have? It still needs to be observed. If the Marcos government continues to abide by this temporary arrangement, although it can conduct resupply, it is obviously acknowledging China's jurisdiction over Ren'ai Reef, which cannot be explained to the United States or to domestic anti-China forces. Therefore, the Marcos government may continue to violate this temporary arrangement agreement and break into Ren'ai Reef without prior notice.

Why do I say "continue"? Because the forced entry action that occurred on the 26th and 27th of this month was a violation of this temporary arrangement. From the above eight resupply times, the average interval between the Philippines' resupply missions to the stranded ship at Ren'ai Reef is around 40 days. However, more than 100 days have passed since May 20, and the Philippine military on the stranded ship are nearly out of food and water. Clearly, the Marcos government has not been abiding by the temporary arrangement since May 20, and we naturally will not allow them to resupply again.

The resupply missions of the Philippine side to the stranded ship at Ren'ai Reef are basically carried out by ships. In the past year, they also used a helicopter to air-drop supplies once. However, helicopters are expensive and have limited carrying capacity, making them unsuitable for regular resupply missions. The Chinese Coast Guard ships, based on Meiji Island, approximately 40 kilometers away from Ren'ai Reef, can quickly arrive at the area of Ren'ai Reef for interception. The Philippine vessels basically cannot break through our defense line.

What actions the Philippines will take next, let us wait and see.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7544930808247714344/

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