China sent out warships and sent planes. China sounded the rally call for armed war in the Philippines (photo)

China sent out warships and sent planes. China sounded the rally call for war in the Philippines (photo) (Reprinted from World Times) China and the Philippines have been facing off in the waters off Scarborough Shoal for nearly a month. The standoff at Scarborough Shoal...

(Reprinted from World Times)

China and the Philippines have been facing off in the waters off Scarborough Shoal for nearly a month. The confrontation at Scarborough Shoal has not calmed down but has continued to escalate due to various provocative actions by the Philippines that have continued to escalate the situation. What the Philippines has done has obviously reached a level that Beijing cannot tolerate, and has even exceeded the bottom line set by Beijing in the South China Sea. After the Philippines clamored to change the name of Scarborough Shoal on May 4 and announced on May 6 that it wanted to remove the Chinese flag on the island, China immediately launched a "heavy blow" from the three aspects of diplomacy, public opinion, and military to seriously warn the Philippines. China is not optimistic about the current situation and has made various preparations to deal with the Philippines' expansion of the situation.

The Chinese Navy's Luyang I-class (052B-class) ballistic missile destroyer passed through Okinawa

Since the confrontation between China and the Philippines at Scarborough Shoal, the Philippines has continued to worsen the situation by frequently resorting to various "little moves". After the Philippines clamored to change the name of Scarborough Shoal on May 4 and announced on May 6 that it wanted to remove the Chinese logo on Scarborough Shoal, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying met for the third time on May 7 with Cai Fujiong, charge d'affaires of the Philippine Embassy in China, and made it clear that the Philippines obviously did not recognize Realizing that it was making a serious mistake, it instead intensified the situation and continued to escalate the situation. Not only did it continue to send official ships to operate in the Scarborough Shoal lagoon, but it also continued to make wrong remarks, mislead the domestic and international public, incite public sentiment, and seriously damaged the atmosphere of bilateral relations. We cannot be optimistic about the situation, and China has made various preparations to deal with the Philippines' expansion of the situation.

The Chinese Navy's Luyang I-class (052B-class) ballistic missile destroyer passed through Okinawa

What is concerning is that on May 8, the day after Fu Ying’s meeting with Philippine officials, the overseas edition of the People’s Daily, a newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, published an opinion piece titled “There is no need to endure it anymore.” After this article was posted online, it was immediately reposted by more than a hundred websites in China, and netizens commented one after another. The article once again pointed out that handling disputes through direct negotiation and friendly consultation is still the best way to solve the Huangyan Island issue at present, and we must do everything possible to carry out this effort until the last minute. But the Philippines cannot regard China's goodwill as weakness that can be bullied. When benevolence comes to an end, there is no need to endure it anymore. When that time comes, we will not mind jointly creating a "Scarborough Shoal" model with the Philippines.

The Chinese Navy's Yuzhao-class (071-class) landing ship passed through Okinawa

Compared with diplomacy, the Chinese military has also begun to take action. According to news released by the Integrated Staff and Supervision Department of the Ministry of Defense of Japan on May 8, at around 6 a.m. on May 6 (5 a.m. Beijing time), a "P3C" anti-submarine patrol aircraft belonging to the Naha 5th Air Group of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force confirmed that five Chinese warships appeared in the waters about 650 kilometers southwest of the main island of Okinawa and have now moved south to the Pacific Ocean. In addition, during the recent South China Sea naval exercises, the Chinese Navy used an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) called the "Silver Eagle" for the first time to provide long-range communication support. Some analysts believe that the use of "Silver Eagle" drones in PLA naval exercises highlights the possible role of drones in the "anti-access" strategy, that is, China may use drones in conflicts in surrounding waters.

Five Chinese warships passed through Okinawa in a single column formation

In the view of some scholars, the Philippines has continued to issue various radical remarks, incite domestic media and public sentiment, and taken various irrational actions in an attempt to complicate, expand and internationalize the Scarborough Shoal incident. Its fundamental purpose is to try to obtain sovereignty over the disputed waters. However, the measures taken by the Philippines not only fail to achieve this goal, but will also move further and further away from this goal.

>Chinese "Silver Eagle" UAV

Of course, there are three main considerations for the Philippines' small actions: First, domestic political factors. It cannot be ruled out that some politicians in the Philippines are trying to use the Scarborough Shoal incident to attract attention and win votes and public support with the so-called "tough foreign policy." Second, economic considerations. The rich oil and gas resources in the South China Sea are a huge temptation for the Philippines. Third, strategic considerations. The Philippines has become increasingly tough and radical on the South China Sea issue recently, believing that it must seize the opportunity to quickly resolve the South China Sea issue before the rise of China.

It is worth noting that no matter what the motive is, the Philippines’ actions can only cause “the possibility of a peaceful resolution of the dispute to be reduced.” The Philippines' provocative behavior in the South China Sea has obviously reached a level that Beijing cannot tolerate, and has even exceeded the bottom line set by Beijing in the South China Sea. The Philippines must see the situation clearly. China has made all-round preparations to deal with various situations. We hope that the Philippines will not misjudge the determination and ability of the Chinese government and people to defend sovereignty. If the Philippines continues to disobey the advice and persists in going its own way, it will surely be severely punished by Beijing.