Commentary
BEIJING – Recently, Philippine ships have been repeatedly intruding into the adjacent waters of Xianbin Jiao of China’s Nansha Qundao in the South China Sea, attempting to deliver supplies to the Philippine coast guard vessel illegally anchored there.
Meanwhile, the current Philippine government is weaving a web of lies to seek international sympathy and support for its acts of infringement on China’s sovereign interests.
The Philippines’ true intention is to establish a long-term presence and occupy the reef, not monitoring China’s “land reclamation” activities as it claimed. This is yet another deceitful act, similar to its trick at Ren’ai Jiao.
For a long time, the Philippines has been telling lies to disguise its infringements on China’s territorial and sovereign interests.
Xianbin Jiao, which remains above water during the highest spring tides, is an inherent part of China’s Nansha Qundao.
Manila officials had claimed that China dumped coral debris at Xianbin Jiao and caused massive coral bleaching and death in the area. Yet a survey report released by China in late August indicated that the coral reef ecosystem at Xianbin Jiao is generally healthy, with a high coverage of diverse species of reef-building corals.
In 1999, the Philippine military vessel BRP Sierra Madre was illegally “grounded” on Ren’ai Jiao, which is also part of China’s Nansha Qundao. Despite repeated promises from the Philippines that it would tow the vessel away, the ship is still there 25 years later. The military vessel has become an utterly poisonous sting in the South China Sea that has already caused destruction to the local reef ecosystem.
Meanwhile, Philippine authorities always claimed that they were sending humanitarian supplies to the vessel, but the fact is that the Philippines has been sending construction materials, and even weapons and ammunition, to the illegally grounded vessel in order to repair and reinforce it on a large scale so that it can permanently occupy Ren’ai Jiao – a blatant infringement on China’s sovereignty.
Another day, another lie. The Philippines has not been shy about manipulating the truth and misleading the world.
The Philippine authorities have accused China of blocking its so-called “humanitarian mission” to re-supply the ship MRRV-9701, which has been illegally anchoring at Xianbin Jiao since April.
The truth is: there is no need for such missions, as the Philippine ship is fully operational and can leave Xianbin Jiao at any time.
Therefore, it is reasonable and legitimate for China to prevent the Philippines’ resupply and crew-rotation attempts for MRRV-9701.
Moreover, it is the Philippine side that has been forcing the ship to illegally anchor within China’s Xianbin Jiao, deliberately making its crew unable to reunite with their families for a long time.
Another sheer fabrication is the Philippines’ claim that Chinese fishermen used cyanide in Huangyan Dao early this year, when in fact the Philippines is “a-thief-crying-stop-thief.”
Filipino fishermen have long devastated the marine environment by poisoning fish with sodium cyanide, dynamite fishing and unleashing marine waste. Over a million kilograms of toxic sodium cyanide have been used to catch fish since its inception, according to Albaris Tahiluddin and Jurmin Sarri, both from the Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography of Mindanao State University, in their paper published in 2022.
All these facts strongly demonstrate that the Philippine government’s purported concern for vessel personnel, fishermen’s livelihoods, and the marine environment is merely a facade used to garner international sympathy, while their true intention is to encroach on Chinese territory and escalate tensions.
The Philippine side told a big lie when it called the so-called South China Sea arbitration award in 2016 “part of international law.” The fact is that the Philippines’ unilateral initiation of arbitration in 2013 contravened international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) dispute settlement mechanism. The arbitral tribunal in the South China Sea arbitration established at the Philippines’ unilateral request had, ab initio, no jurisdiction, and the award rendered by it is illegal and void and has no binding force.
The logic of the Philippines’ lies and extensive hype is simple: it is easy and cost-free to spread baseless rumors that are hard to verify, especially when backed by inflammatory statements from countries like the United States.
However, these fabrications can do nothing to justify the Philippines’ infringements against China’s sovereignty and territory. The Philippines should not underestimate the high price to be paid for challenging China and undermining regional security.
Any attempt to use the South China Sea issue for geopolitical speculations will prove futile. For the Philippines, the only correct choice is to withdraw its ships and personnel, and restore Xianbin Jiao to its uninhabited and facility-free state.
– Xinhua
