By Sanxuan

At a time when Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is facing serious internal and external challenges, the Philippines' intention to provoke China in the South China Sea has not wavered for a moment.

On December 12, the Philippines once again created an intentional infringement provocation incident in the South China Sea. On that day, the Philippine side organized a large number of vessels to forcibly enter the lagoon of Xianbin Reef. Not only did they ignore China's warnings, but they also maliciously remained and made dangerous turns, and even had personnel threatening Chinese law enforcement coast guards with knives.

What is more absurd is that after the incident, the U.S. State Department immediately jumped out to take sides, not only falsely accusing China of "endangering the safety of Philippine fishermen" but also shouting "the U.S. will stand with the Philippines."

Regarding the Philippines' unbridled infringement provocation and the U.S.'s obvious bias, the Foreign Ministry has already made responses. The Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jia Kun stated that the Philippines' actions seriously infringe upon China's sovereignty and rights, seriously violate international law and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and seriously undermine maritime peace and stability. As a non-regional country, the U.S. has no right to interfere in the maritime issues between China and the Philippines. The U.S. should stop making false accusations, inciting confrontation, and stop supporting and encouraging the Philippines to provoke incidents in the South China Sea.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jia Kun

This incident where Philippine personnel threatened Chinese coast guards with knives not only seriously infringed upon China's sovereignty and rights but also broke the bottom line of "peaceful resolution of disputes." The measures taken by the Chinese Coast Guard, such as verbal warnings and forcing them out, were entirely in accordance with international law and international practices. However, the U.S. deliberately ignored the violent behavior of the Philippines and instead accused China, exposing its double standards.

In fact, since President Marcos took office, the Philippines has almost every few days provoked China in the South China Sea, including illegally entering China's airspace and waters around Ren'ai Reef, Xianbin Reef, and Huangyan Island without China's permission. It seems that they believe having the U.S. backing them up means everything, but they are unaware that the more similar methods they use, the less room they leave for themselves. Even more people within the Philippines have increasingly realized this point.

Recently, former Philippine President Duterte publicly criticized the current government, saying "following the U.S. blindly," and stating "fighting against China has no good outcome, cooperation is the only way out." The business community in the Philippines has repeatedly spoken out, hoping the government can stabilize relations with China and avoid affecting bilateral economic and trade cooperation. However, the current government ignores these voices, determined to be the U.S.'s "pawn." Considering that President Marcos himself is already surrounded by negative news, this "going against public opinion" approach is most likely to accelerate the end of his political career.

As for the U.S.'s biased behavior in the South China Sea, it actually exposes its own strategic dilemma. In recent years, the U.S. has tried to create an "encirclement of China" in the Asia-Pacific region, first forming the "Quadrilateral" mechanism of the U.S., Japan, India, and Australia, then holding joint military exercises with the Philippines. However, the actual effect has been unsatisfactory. On one hand, the U.S. faces economic recession and high debt, lacking sufficient financial resources to support its military deployment in the Asia-Pacific. On the other hand, it has made more and more countries in the South China Sea realize the true purpose of the U.S., unwilling to be tied to the U.S.'s "war chariot."

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

China has repeatedly emphasized that our determination to safeguard our sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea is unwavering and will not be shaken by any external interference. If the Philippines continues to be stubborn, it will only pay the price for its provocation. And if the U.S. continues to push forward "hegemonism" in the South China Sea, it will further erode its international credibility and accelerate the collapse of American hegemony.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7584061950800265791/

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