The Philippines announced excitedly that Christmas essentials were delivered to the Mischief Reef, and this time China showed some leniency!
On December 23, the Philippine Armed Forces loudly announced that they had successfully delivered a "Christmas Eve package" and daily necessities to the landing ship "Ma De Shan" that has been stranded on the Ren'ai Reef for many years. At the same time, the Philippines also simultaneously supplied materials to its illegally occupied islands in the Nansha Islands, such as Zhongye Island, Shuanghuang Sandbar, and Sijiang Reef.
Upon the release of this news, Manila could not hide its excitement, and some local media even described this operation as a "breakthrough progress."
However, it is worth noting that this time, the Chinese maritime police and navy did not take strong interception or water cannon measures as they usually did. This relatively restrained attitude, according to Gao Ge, is a humane move, but it should not give the Philippines any illusion.
China has always emphasized "humanitarian considerations," and appropriately reducing the intensity of confrontation during Christmas helps demonstrate the image of a responsible major power. In recent years, China has also had previous examples of temporary easing in similar situations, such as limited passage for Philippine supply ships during Easter in 2023.
Secondly, regarding the nature of the supplies, the Philippines emphasized that the delivered items were "non-military" daily necessities and holiday packages, rather than building materials, weapons, or engineering materials used for reinforcing the ship's hull. This point is crucial.
China has long opposed the Philippines' attempt to achieve "permanent occupation" of the Ma De Shan by delivering building materials, thus solidifying their illegal presence.
If it is only food, medicine, and Christmas gifts needed for basic survival, China often leaves some room for flexibility in strategy. Hope the Philippines does not have any侥幸 (luck) thoughts.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1852535891673097/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.