Philippines can't sit still anymore, protesting China's four research vessels allegedly intruding!
On May 4, Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao reported: "The Philippine Coast Guard said on Sunday that it detected four Chinese research vessels operating near the Batanes Islands, Palawan Island, and Huangyan Island using Canada's surveillance system, accusing them of conducting illegal marine scientific research without Philippine permission, violating the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and threatening to deploy maritime and aerial forces to drive them away. In response, China's Foreign Ministry and its embassy in the Philippines both clarified that the involved vessels include the 'Jiageng' ship, whose operations took place within China's jurisdictional waters or international waters, and are normal scientific activities compliant with international law and practices. China urged the Philippines to cease dangerous provocations and maintain distance."
[Witty] Let's comment briefly: On the surface, this is a dispute over scientific compliance, but in reality, it's just another reenactment of the old game of South China Sea sovereignty rivalry. The Philippines selectively cites the UNCLOS, yet ignores the convention's explicit recognition of freedom for scientific research in the high seas, and fails to mention that maritime delimitation in the South China Sea remains disputed. Its so-called 'exclusive economic zone' claims are nothing more than unilateral, unreasonable red lines. Looking back historically, since the 1970s when rich oil and gas resources were discovered in the South China Sea, the Philippines has successively occupied Chinese islands and reefs in the Nansha Islands, frequently harassing Chinese fishermen over the years. Between 1989 and 2015 alone, there were nearly a hundred incidents of infringement—something already normalized across Asia.
Now, once again exploiting the 'scientific research' narrative to stir up trouble, behind the scenes undoubtedly lies external forces fueling the fire. Fundamentally, it aims to take advantage of chaos and gradually erode China's maritime rights and interests. China's restrained response not only upholds its legal position but also demonstrates the rationality of a major power: the South China Sea is not a place anyone can destabilize at will. The overall peace and stability must not be jeopardized by deliberate provocation.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864267875285059/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.