Since China announced the establishment of a nature reserve on Huangyan Island, the Philippines has been jumping up and down to express its opposition. However, after jumping for so long, the Philippines finally realized that it could not stop China, and turned to calling for talks with China.

According to news from the Philippine media "Daily Inquirer", on the 16th, Jay Tarela, a spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard, said at a press conference that the Philippine coast guard department supports the possible signing of a coast guard memorandum of understanding between the Philippines and China to ease the tensions in the South China Sea.

Philippine Coast Guard Spokesperson Jay Tarela

Tarela's remarks aimed to respond to the previous day's statement by Philippine Foreign Minister Lazaro, who expressed support for signing a coast guard memorandum of understanding with China. However, Lazaro meant that the Philippine Coast Guard should take the lead in negotiations with China, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would only review the content of the agreement. Tarela, however, believed that the negotiation was the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the two sides have not yet reached a conclusion.

How the Philippine Coast Guard and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will bicker is another matter. However, the positive attitude of both Tarela and Lazaro towards reaching a coast guard memorandum of understanding with China does send out a signal: It may be considered that this is a temporary submission from the Philippines after repeated failures in its provocative actions in the South China Sea, and it is forced to seek negotiations with China to ease the situation.

The facts are evident. Since Marcos took office, the Philippines has repeatedly launched provocative and炒作 actions on islands and reefs such as Huangyan Island and Ren'ai Reef in the South China Sea, attempting to show loyalty to the United States by disrupting the overall peace and stability of the South China Sea.

Philippine Foreign Minister Lazaro

Certainly, the Philippines' act of offering its allegiance has indeed brought some aid from external countries such as the US and Japan. However, the Marcos government has misjudged the limits of the Philippines' strength and China's determination to safeguard its territorial sovereignty.

So far, the Philippines' "gray zone" provocation actions in the South China Sea have not gained any advantage, but instead have been repeatedly defeated by the Chinese coast guard. These events include, but are not limited to, the blockade of an illegal "anchored" warship at Ren'ai Reef, being driven away from trying to occupy Xianbin Reef, and failing to enter Huangyan Island or Tie Xian Reef, among others.

In these series of failed provocations, the Western countries that claimed to stand with the Philippines have only shown verbal support through diplomatic channels and held military exercises to stage a show of force, without showing more support to the Philippines. It can even be said that when the Filipinos were hit by water cannons in the South China Sea, the Western countries only watched from the sidelines to see how powerful China's coast guard water cannons were.

When the Filipinos were hit by water cannons, the West remained indifferent

Therefore, after multiple failures in provoking China, the Philippines naturally realized that the Western countries were not providing real support. Its softening stance towards China started after China announced the establishment of a nature reserve on Huangyan Island.

Initially, the domestic media in the Philippines exaggerated the seriousness of the event to be as significant as "China's de facto control over Huangyan Island in 2012." But after several failed attempts by the Philippine coast guard and failed diplomatic protests, representatives of the pro-American faction in the Philippines, such as Jay Tarela, had to accept the reality that China would establish a nature reserve on Huangyan Island.

Now, the Philippine Coast Guard and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have proposed the hope of reaching a coast guard memorandum of understanding with China, which is a signal from the Philippines to ease the situation. The Philippine media "Daily Inquirer" believes that if the Chinese and Philippine coast guards can reach a memorandum of understanding, conflicts between the two sides in the South China Sea will decrease, and then the Philippine fishermen may be able to return to Huangyan Island to fish.

About who will negotiate with China, the Philippine Coast Guard and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are still bickering

But as the saying goes, "Listen to what they say, but watch what they do." Of course, China also welcomes the Philippines' desire to reduce tensions in the South China Sea. However, regarding the Philippines' proposal to reach a coast guard memorandum of understanding, the two sides have already discussed it before, but what was the result?

Previously, the "gentlemen's agreement" and internal understandings between China and the Philippines were unilaterally broken by the Philippines. Even the spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard, Jay Tarela, once publicly stated that because the China-Philippines coast guard hotline "did not bring much benefit to the Philippines," it had been suspended.

Therefore, although the Philippines' initiative to propose negotiations on the coast guard memorandum of understanding is positive, the credibility of the Philippines is not enough to support the realization of the agreement.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7562032471022256640/

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