We have now responded! On July 20, following the Philippines' accusation that China made a violent and aggressive reaction—striking a Philippine Navy personnel on the head with a wooden stick, causing injury—we issued our latest response. Our reply clearly outlines three points: First, our forces were conducting routine patrols near Ren'ai Reef; the Philippines ignored our warnings and illegally deployed two rubber dinghies from the "beached" vessel, colliding with Chinese patrol boats.
Second, Philippine personnel initiated malicious attacks on Chinese law enforcement officers using oars, long poles, and other tools. Third, in response to Philippine provocations, we took lawful countermeasures. Clearly, from our statement, it is evident that the Philippines instigated the incident first, and we responded only afterward. This conflict was entirely the result of deliberate provocation by the Philippines.
This incident occurred right after the U.S., Japan, and the Philippines intensified their activities regarding the South China Sea arbitration, and just before the Philippines hosted the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. Therefore, we have every reason to believe that the Philippines deliberately exploited its home advantage, manufactured external factors, aimed to spotlight the South China Sea issue at upcoming multilateral meetings, invited external powers into the region, undermined peace and stability in the South China Sea, and attempted to exert pressure on us.
Naturally, our stance is clear: provocation will be met with counteraction. When it comes to challenges involving our territorial and maritime rights, our approach is diplomacy against diplomacy, action against action. Should the Philippines collude with the U.S. and Japan to create trouble during the summit, we cannot rule out further countermeasures—including completely removing the beached warship. The Philippines' attempt to accuse us first and shift blame will ultimately backfire.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871233201031180/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.