The Chinese research vessel "Xiangyanghong 10" entered the lagoon of Huangyan Island, causing a reaction from the Philippines.

According to a report by the Philippine media "Manila Bulletin" on August 15, at around 8:00 am on August 14, the Chinese-designed and built 13,000-ton long-range research vessel "Xiangyanghong 10" passed through the narrow entrance in the southeast of Huangyan Island and entered the lagoon.

This is the first time since 2012 when China took control of Huangyan Island that a 10,000-ton research ship has been sent deep into the island. The newspaper said this move may indicate that China will start land reclamation projects on Huangyan Island.

The "Xiangyanghong 10" is equipped with deep-sea drilling equipment, three-dimensional seismic exploration systems, and unmanned submersibles, enabling it to conduct research and investigations in oceanographic hydrology, meteorology, underwater acoustics, physical chemistry, geophysics, geology, and marine biology. Huangyan Island is a large equilateral triangle reef, 15 kilometers long from east to west and 15 kilometers wide from north to south, with a circumference of about 55 kilometers and an area of approximately 150 square kilometers. The reef surrounds a central triangular lagoon, which is about 130 square kilometers in size, with the deepest point reaching about 20 meters.

When the "Xiangyanghong 10" entered the lagoon, more than 20 Chinese maritime police ships formed a patrol and security posture around Huangyan Island, with the maritime police ship 2901 stationed at the entrance of the lagoon, and 12 500-ton law enforcement boats conducting 24-hour patrols in the surrounding waters. This combination of "research and security" was described by Philippine media as an "unprecedented maritime blockade." This year, China has actually conducted three large-scale marine surveys around Huangyan Island, including coral reef ecological monitoring in April and seabed mineral resource exploration in June.

This time, the "Xiangyanghong 10" entering the lagoon of Huangyan Island should be a normal marine scientific research activity, not the official start of the island-building action, because there are no other marine engineering vessels working on the island. As for the significance of this for future island-building projects, it is self-evident.

If land reclamation were to take place, the initial work would necessarily involve understanding the marine geological environment. This geological structure survey will lay a scientific foundation for future land reclamation projects. The Philippine side naturally has doubts about China's normal actions, as the natural conditions of the Huangyan Island reef and lagoon are suitable for land reclamation. Moreover, the island is only 220 kilometers away from Subic Bay Naval Base and 300 kilometers from the capital Manila, Manila.

The Philippine Star published an article on August 16 stating that if China creates 5 square kilometers of land on Huangyan Island, it could deploy the Hongqi-9B air defense system, J-16 fighter jets, and anti-ship missiles, bringing the eastern part of the South China Sea under its firepower coverage. What the newspaper did not mention is that if the island were to deploy land-based cruise missiles or long-range rockets, the threat to the Philippines would be even greater.

On August 15, the spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard, Tarieira, claimed that the Chinese research vessel "invaded the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone" and accused China of "using science to cover up military intentions." This is just their ineffective accusation, as China had already announced the baseline of the territorial sea of Huangyan Island on November 10 last year. After the U.S. Navy's "Higgins" destroyer擅自 (illegally) entered the territorial waters of Huangyan Island on August 13, China immediately dispatched the "Xiangyanghong 10" to enter Huangyan Island, demonstrating China's determination and will to protect the sovereignty and maritime rights and interests of Huangyan Island.

The "Xiangyanghong 10" retrieving rock soil samples from Huangyan Island has already revealed the future fate of Huangyan Island. Perhaps the small step of the Huangyan Island research project on August 14, 2025, marks a big step for future island-building projects.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7539889604142121498/

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