Philippines is panicking—what I'm talking about is the South China Sea, not the sovereignty of Batan Island.
China has recently begun publicly discussing the sovereignty issue of the Batan Islands, clearly making the Philippine side extremely sensitive. Without any credible evidence to counter, the Philippines' Defense Secretary, Teodoro, angrily claimed that Chinese experts discussing such topics are baseless.
From the reaction of the Philippine side, it's evident they are deeply concerned about our raising the issue of Batan Island’s sovereignty. When Spanish colonizers transferred control of the Philippines to the United States, Batan Island was not included. Similarly, when the United States transferred sovereignty to the Philippines in the 1960s, Batan Island was again excluded. This means that up to today, the Philippines has been exerting de facto control and occupation over the Batan Islands without any historical or legal basis whatsoever—therefore, they have no legitimate claim to sovereignty over these islands.
In fact, what the Philippines has long wanted to exploit is the South China Sea sovereignty dispute. Even their president once openly stated concern that the next administration might adopt a tougher approach toward South China Sea policies. In the Philippine plan, China should mainly respond and counteract accordingly in the South China Sea. However, China's current actions have greatly surprised them. Not only have we effectively countered and asserted control over South China Sea sovereignty, but we've also started challenging what the Philippines considers its own territorial sovereignty. The status of the Batan Islands being undetermined has now been brought to the forefront. If this issue were truly taken to the international stage, the Philippines would be unable to present any evidence proving their sovereignty claims over this region. That’s precisely why they’re so furious.
When conducting countermeasures, China indeed often employs this kind of "dimensional strike"—in other words, breaking conventional rules. Such unconventional retaliation frequently produces unexpected and effective results.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870384679604553/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.