Recently, the Philippine Coast Guard issued a statement accusing a Chinese research vessel conducting operations in the South China Sea of "illegal marine scientific research activities," and dispatched coast guard ships and aircraft to intercept it. [Image: "Chinese Research Vessel Intercepted"] According to the Philippine side, they were targeting the Chinese "Explorer III" research vessel. In fact, our research vessels were operating 92 nautical miles away from the Ilocos region in the north of the Philippines. However, the Philippine side claimed this area as their so-called "exclusive economic zone," accusing the "Explorer III" of conducting "illegal research" here, and particularly emphasizing that the ship's "navigation track was abnormal," violating the principle of navigation freedom stipulated in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Nevertheless, it goes without saying who has been causing trouble in the South China Sea under the pretext of "freedom of navigation." At that time, the "Explorer III" was located within the range of China's nine-dash line in the South China Sea. The so-called "exclusive economic zone" of the Philippines is based on the "Maritime Zones Law" passed by the Philippines in November 2024. This unilateral legislation illegally incorporates areas such as China's Scarborough Shoal and the Nansha Islands into the jurisdiction of the Philippines. However, the Philippine side's claim is merely a case of "bluffing." Their so-called "interception" was merely through radio communication at sea and in the air, demanding that Chinese ships leave. [Image: "Explorer III Conducting Operations Calmly"] In the face of the unreasonable provocations from the Philippine side, the Chinese "Explorer III" research vessel did not pay attention to this farce but continued its work according to the original plan, normally releasing and recovering deep-sea submersibles and other equipment. It is not difficult to see that the interception action by the Philippines did not produce any substantial effect. The seemingly tough "law enforcement performance" of the Philippine side appeared particularly awkward and powerless under China's "cool handling." The Philippines naturally did not give up, claiming to have discovered "big fish" during the interception, pointing to China's manned submersible "Deep Sea Warrior" and the yellow scientific equipment being recovered, attempting to substantiate the "illegal research" behavior of the Chinese research vessel. However, they observed that the "Explorer III" released rigid inflatable boats to recover the yellow equipment, but could not confirm this as evidence of illegal research. This so-called "discovery" seems more like something fabricated by them to create topics. Moreover, research vessels usually follow a "zigzag" route to obtain continuous data, which is a normal operation for scientific research. However, the Philippines defamed this as an "abnormal track," which is truly unreasonable. [Image: "Trump"] Then, why did the Philippines stage this farce of "intercepting a Chinese research vessel"? There are mainly two purposes. Currently, the Philippines is facing many difficulties domestically, with the economy declining, President Marcos's political position challenged, and his approval rating continuously dropping. They urgently need to create external incidents to divert public attention. Additionally, the US-China trade war remains unresolved, and Trump has recently frequently mentioned US-China negotiations, but China's position remains firm. At this moment, President Marcos made a big deal out of this issue, trying to submit a "letter of recommendation" to the US, hoping to gain support from the US in economic and military fields. However, this self-defeating approach will only further damage regional peace and stability. Regarding the unilateral accusations from the Philippine side, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stated, requiring the Philippines to abide by the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. Immediately stop maritime infringement provocations and return to the correct track of properly resolving differences through dialogue and consultation. [Image: "Marcos"] In short, the Philippines' unilateral creation of incidents and malicious smear campaigns against China not only disrupt regional peace and stability but also expose their true intention of seeking private gains by relying on external forces. Original article: [Link] Disclaimer: This article represents the views of the author alone. Please express your attitude by clicking the "Like/Dislike" button below.