As the military exercises in the Taiwan Strait are still smoldering, on the other side of the South China Sea, a "silent standoff" around a Chinese research vessel is quietly unfolding. It's clear that the Philippines' provocative actions at this critical moment are not with good intentions.

Research Vessel "Explorer II"

The PLA's military exercises around Taiwan are still ongoing, and a large number of troops have not even completely withdrawn when the Philippines suddenly released a "major news" claiming that the Philippine Coast Guard discovered a Chinese research vessel "Explorer II," which can serve as a mother ship for submersibles, about 19 nautical miles off the coast near Cagayan Province in the north.

It should be international waters, which has nothing to do with the Philippines, but the Philippines sent aircraft to approach and issued a radio warning, claiming that the Chinese vessel might be conducting marine research without permission, violating Philippine laws and international conventions. The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines immediately countered, stating that the Chinese activity was normal.

Regardless of whether China accepts certain "domestic laws" of the Philippines, even if it comes to citing international law, China has the right to pass through this sea area. This is not just China talking nonsense. According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the maximum width of a coastal state's territorial sea is no more than 12 nautical miles, followed by the contiguous zone, and beyond that is the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Chinese and Philippine Coast Guard Ships

The location where the Philippines claimed to have found the Chinese vessel is 19 nautical miles away, which is beyond the 12-nautical-mile territorial sea. Even according to the Philippines' claim of an EEZ, the convention clearly states that freedom of navigation and scientific research in the EEZ is protected by international law and is not the "private domain" of the coastal state.

More importantly, the Philippines' claim of an "exclusive economic zone" itself is controversial. The Philippines is trying to include the disputed waters within its jurisdiction based solely on its own unilateral laws, which is inherently unsustainable as it violates the principle of international law over domestic law.

Canada and the Philippines Sign Key Defense Agreement

The timing of the Philippines' announcement of this incident during the Taiwan Strait military exercises is no coincidence. China's "Justice Mission 2025" naval exercises are a serious warning to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces and external interference forces. The Philippines is well aware of this, and it is also one of the warned parties.

More notably, the province of Cagayan, where the Philippines discovered the Chinese vessel, is the northernmost province of the Philippines' Luzon Island, adjacent to Taiwan, and it happens to have a military base open to the U.S. military, which is a key stronghold under the framework of the U.S.-Philippines Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. This explains why the Philippines is so "sensitive" about the Chinese vessel in this sea area.

PLA Exercises

What is alarming is that the Philippines used Canada's satellite "dark ship detection system" to publicize this research vessel incident, indicating that there is already a "multi-country coordination" information-sharing network behind it, with covert support from Western powers. This naturally raises doubts about whether the Philippines is taking this opportunity to internationalize its maritime disputes with China, using the tense atmosphere in the Taiwan Strait to attract external forces to support it.

However, the Philippines may have miscalculated. With the enhancement of China's comprehensive national strength and naval power, China's ability to protect its legitimate rights and interests in the South China Sea is constantly increasing. The Taiwan Strait is an internal affair of China, and China will take into account the feelings of people on both sides of the strait, prioritizing "peaceful reunification." However, if the Philippines continues to provoke, China will certainly not hold back.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7589952155906343424/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.