The first菲guard boat was driven away from Huangyan Island, fleeing the scene with oil traces.

The first time the Philippine warship intruded into the Scarborough Shoal, it was driven away and fled while leaving a long oil trail. What happened on the scene? On the 20th, the Southern Theater Command released a notification stating that the Philippine corvette had illegally entered the territorial waters of the Scarborough Shoal. The Chinese Navy immediately issued a warning and drove it away, firmly defending our territorial sea sovereignty. This is the first time that the Philippines has sent a military vessel to intrude into the territorial waters of the Scarborough Shoal. Clearly, under the pressure from the U.S. and driven by his own interests, the Philippines is taking risks.

So far, neither China nor the Philippines have released any video or images from the scene. However, two satellite images have captured a ship near the Scarborough Shoal trailing a long oil slick. It is possible that the Philippine corvette was hit and leaked oil during its confrontation with the Chinese People's Liberation Army, forcing it to flee while leaving an oil trail. Of course, this is just a reasonable speculation. The truth of what happened at the scene remains to be officially disclosed.

The corvette dispatched by the Philippines in this incident was transferred from the UK and originally belonged to the British garrison in Hong Kong. It has a full load displacement of only 763 tons and is equipped with a 76mm gun. It is clearly no match for the Chinese Navy's Type 054A frigates. Their provocation at the Scarborough Shoal may be driven by two factors:

Firstly, to cooperate with the U.S. encirclement of China. The Trump administration waged a trade war while frequently launching offensives outside the rules, such as having Ukraine accuse China and sending lawmakers to visit Taiwan. Recently, they have also been conducting the "Shoulder to Shoulder" military exercises in 2025 with the Philippines on Luzon Island. On the 18th and 19th, U.S. P-8A reconnaissance aircraft flew over the vicinity of the Scarborough Shoal twice for reconnaissance, followed by the Philippine warship attempting to intrude into the Scarborough Shoal. There may be a connection between the two events.

Secondly, the midterm elections in the Philippines are approaching. Since Marcos sent Duterte to The Hague, his domestic approval rating has plummeted from 42% to 25%. He needs to create opportunities to save himself. It is expected that the U.S.-Philippine side will continue to instigate similar provocations in the near future, and we must prepare accordingly.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1829974274733068/

Disclaimer: The article represents the author's personal views.