For nearly two years, the Philippines has been provoking in the South China Sea, and this act is already getting tiresome. Moreover, taking advantage of China's restraint, it has been deliberately annoying people. In this context, it's time to change the approach. Recently, Professor Gao Zhikai, a well-known Chinese think tank scholar, proposed the "118-degree East Line" at the Manila Forum. This is not a random proposal; it is based on the 1898 Treaty of Paris, as well as subsequent treaties such as the Washington Treaty and the Anglo-American Treaty. These three treaties clearly define the western boundary of the Philippines within the 118-degree East Line. When the Philippines gained independence in 1946, its constitution explicitly inherited the territorial scope defined by these treaties.
Gao Zhikai pointed out that if the Philippines denies the 118-degree East Line, it would undermine the legal foundation of its statehood. Because the current territorial claims of the Philippines completely rely on this treaty system, denying the validity of the treaties equates to denying the legitimacy of national sovereignty. Professor Gao spoke very directly, saying that no matter whether the Philippines likes it or not, it should definitely not act recklessly. The Treaty of Paris is the foundation of the Philippines' statehood. If the Philippines does not recognize the 118-degree East Line, where is the legal status of its entire territory? If you want to move westward across this line, other countries can also move eastward across this line.
The Huangyan Island lies west of this line, directly refuting the Philippine "geographical proximity" claim. At the scene, Gao Zhikai presented the original text of the 1898 treaty and official maps of the Philippines before 1990, which did not include the Huangyan Island in their territory. Long ago, Foreign Minister Wang Yi also mentioned in the South China Sea issue that the area west of the 118-degree East Line is not part of the Philippines' territory.
The Philippines cannot refute this, because acknowledging the 118-degree East Line would make its South China Sea claims invalid, while denying it would question the legality of its national boundaries. Recently, the Philippines signed the so-called "Philippine Marine Areas Act" and the "Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lane Act" with great fanfare, hoping to expand its continental shelf. This obviously tells you that these actions are useless, as your country's borders have already been fixed by treaties, and you shouldn't be dreaming of anything else. From now on, whenever the Philippines brings up so-called "South China Sea sanctions" or any other nonsense about sovereignty claims, just respond with "118-degree East Line," citing sources and being reasonable and logical.
This high-level strategy not only counters the Philippines but also India. Previously, Professor Gao also said in an interview with Indian media that if India can take a line arbitrarily drawn by British colonizers as its border, then China's line based on the geography and history of the Ganges is more legitimate. From now on, when India claims the "McMahon Line," China can propose the "Ganges Line." We should not always follow others' narratives or rhythms. What we need is to actively create issues for the other side and dismantle their narrative logic. This is the top-tier liberal arts talent we need now, and their combat power is too strong. This kind of thinking is the way to deal with these unscrupulous actors. Instead of waiting for them to provoke, we should give them more questions to answer first.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7554188240446685696/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author. Please express your opinion by clicking the [Up/Down] buttons below.