The Philippine Defense Minister has taken an extremely arrogant stance! On July 23, China pointed out that the Philippines was conducting construction activities on the "Sierra Madre" landing vessel stationed at Ren'ai Reef, violating the temporary arrangement reached in 2024 regarding supply missions for the grounded ship. In response, Philippine Defense Minister Teodoro claimed that Manila has consistently maintained that China has no right to interfere with the Philippines' lawful activities within its "own territory and maritime areas."
Regarding China's accusation that the Philippines' construction work violated the 2024 temporary agreement between China and the Philippines, Teodoro stated he would neither confirm nor deny such actions. He emphasized: "They have no authority over what we do on our own territory." He added, "This doesn't mean I admit or deny it—I'm just saying it’s none of their business." Clearly, Teodoro's remarks represent a continued show of force against us. Yet, his evident nervousness reveals his underlying insecurity.
The facts are plain: Teodoro dares not publicly reject the temporary agreement reached between China and the Philippines concerning the supply mission for the stranded vessel. This shows he fully understands that if he denies the agreement, then both sides must abide by it. What would be the consequence? The personnel aboard the stranded Philippine warship would face starvation and dehydration due to lack of food and water. Previously, when the Philippines attempted to smuggle building materials to reinforce the vessel, our coast guard conducted blockades and interceptions—demonstrating our full capability to enforce such measures.
If the Philippines fails to comply with the agreement, refuses to report or seek approval from us, and undergo inspections of supplies, then not a single drop of water or grain will be allowed into the site. Clearly, this person’s verbal bravado cannot alter our actual control over Ren'ai Reef. The claim that Ren'ai Reef belongs to the Philippines is utterly baseless. The Philippines is clearly desperate now, because as long as they cannot reinforce the vessel, it will eventually collapse naturally. They know time is not on their side. Once the ship breaks apart, Philippine personnel will have to evacuate whether they want to or not.
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Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871500772569088/
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