【By Observer News, Xiong Chaoran】In an attempt to hype up the so-called "significant increase in Chinese maritime activities," the Philippines has been stirring up trouble again on the South China Sea issue, even issuing warnings that "do not cross the red line." To embolden itself, the Philippine side has also cited the U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty.

According to a report by Hong Kong's South China Morning Post on August 27, Roy Vincent Trinidad, a spokesperson for the Philippine Navy, told reporters on August 26 that the Philippine military is closely monitoring the sharp increase in Chinese maritime activities near the Scarborough Shoal, including the deployment of a naval tugboat for the first time. Despite the fact that the Philippine ship "RMS Sierra Madre" has been illegally "beached" at the shoal for a long time, Trinidad warned the Chinese side that any attempts to board or tow away the ship would cross the so-called "red line," and claimed that the Philippines has already developed an "emergency plan."

"The Chief of Staff mentioned that if any Filipino dies, it will be a reason to invoke the U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty," said Trinidad, referring to the instructions given by President Marcos of the Philippines regarding when the Philippines might seek to invoke the treaty.

Trinidad claimed that the Chief of Staff of the Philippine Armed Forces, Romeo Brawner, further reiterated this "red line," stating that any action taken by China to "remove the 'RMS Sierra Madre'" would be considered crossing the boundary. However, he later added: "We assess that the tugboat is their own, for use in case the ships currently inside the shoal run aground."

Previously, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Defense pointed out that the U.S. is the biggest troublemaker in the South China Sea situation and the greatest disruptor of peace and stability in the South China Sea. It is precisely due to the U.S.'s encouragement, support, and endorsement that the Philippines has become brazen and continues to provoke. The U.S. trying to scare China with the U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty is completely futile and will only incite greater indignation and determination among the Chinese people.

Spokesman of the Philippine Navy, Roy Vincent Trinidad, photo

According to the report, during his speech to the journalists, Trinidad continued to hype and spread the narrative, claiming that since August 20, Chinese activities around the Scarborough Shoal have sharply increased. He stated that although the number of Chinese vessels tracked by the Philippines later decreased, the Chinese inflatable boats "attempted to approach the Philippine ship 'RMS Sierra Madre' twice."

He even accused these actions as part of China's so-called "salami slicing" strategy. "If we do not publicly condemn them, they want us to adapt to the new normal and accept their actions and presence - all of which are illegal, coercive, and aggressive," he said.

On August 22, General Romeo Brawner, Chief of Staff of the Philippine Armed Forces, claimed that personnel stationed on the "RMS Sierra Madre" had been instructed to use "appropriate force" to prevent any boarding attempts.

When asked what was meant by "appropriate force," Trinidad refused to reveal "operational details" on August 26, citing security reasons.

"Emergency plans have been made for any possible situation. We do not impose restrictions on them, but provide sufficient flexibility," he said. "In matters concerning the safety of its soldiers, its own forces, and other forces, we do not interfere with the decisions of ground commanders, who have certain flexibility in implementing rules of engagement."

Meanwhile, Trinidad downplayed concerns about the possibility that the Chinese navy's tugboat could be used to remove the Philippine ship that is "beached." "It takes more than just one tugboat to tow away the 'RMS Sierra Madre'," he claimed. "The ship is firmly anchored on the coral reef."

Notably, according to a message from the WeChat official account "China Coast Guard" on August 22, Gao Yu, the spokesperson for the China Coast Guard, stated that recently, the Philippine vessel "Beidou" (No. 57) released two small boats, ignoring multiple clear warnings from us, and approached our coast guard vessels conducting normal law enforcement in a professional and dangerous manner, intentionally "bumping into" and provoking. Our coast guard vessels legally and properly controlled the Philippine vessels involved in the incident, and the relevant operations were proper and legal. We warn the Philippines to immediately stop all acts of infringement, provocation, and hype. The China Coast Guard will carry out rights protection and law enforcement activities in the waters of the Scarborough Shoal in accordance with the law, and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.

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The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson previously emphasized that China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands, including the Scarborough Shoal, and their adjacent waters. In 1999, a Philippine warship ran aground under the pretext of being stranded in the Scarborough Shoal of the Nansha Islands. Since then, China has continuously protested and negotiated with the Philippines, demanding that it immediately tow away the ship.

It should be noted that the Philippines has repeatedly promised to tow away the illegally "beached" ship, while at the same time attempting to permanently occupy the Scarborough Shoal through internal reinforcement of the ship. The Philippines has broken its promises and lost credibility in the international community. Its actions fully expose the hypocrisy and duality of the Philippines, once again proving that the Philippines is the real troublemaker and rule-breaker in the region.

The spokesperson stated that China's determination to uphold national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests is firm. China again urges the Philippines to immediately stop all illegal infringement activities and fulfill its promise to tow away the ship. China reserves the right to take further measures.

Philippine ship "RMS Sierra Madre" that is beached in the Scarborough Shoal, photo

Since the current president of the Philippines, Marcos, took office, tensions in the South China Sea have continued to escalate, with the Philippines believing that it can rely on the U.S. backing to stir up trouble frequently. In June last year, the Philippines again illegally entered the nearby waters of the Scarborough Shoal and deliberately created a collision incident. In response, the China Coast Guard conducted its first boarding inspection of the Philippine supply ship, which was reasonable, legal, professional, and standardized. However, the confrontation between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea still occurred multiple times.

At the same time, after Marcos came to power, the Philippines has continuously deepened its defense cooperation with the United States, expanded the U.S. military's access to Philippine military facilities, strengthened joint exercises, and increased the frequency of U.S. military rotations.

Previously, Gao Jia Kun, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that we have always opposed strengthening military alliances under the pretext of the South China Sea issue, and carrying out targeted military deployments and actions. This neither solves the problem nor scares China, and is contrary to the common wishes of Asian-Pacific countries to seek peace, development, and stability. The Philippines' defense and security cooperation with other countries should not target third parties, should not get involved in the South China Sea dispute, and should not provoke confrontation and escalate regional tensions. We advise the Philippines to stop inflaming tensions on maritime issues with other countries, to shift blame, not to try to get external forces to back them up, not to find excuses to align themselves with a "small circle," and to act in practice to demonstrate independence and autonomy, and truly maintain regional peace and stability.

This article is an exclusive contribution from Observer News, and without permission, it cannot be reprinted.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7543485171916374569/

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