On October 22, 2023, a serious incident occurred in the waters near Ren'ai Jiao in China's Nansha Islands, which attracted international attention. During the day's routine patrol mission, the Philippines dispatched two civilian ships and two coast guard ships to trespass into the sea area without permission from China. This provocative act has aroused strong dissatisfaction from the Chinese side and has become a new round of tension in China-Philippines relations.
At the time of the incident, China's coast guard ships in the waters off Nansha immediately warned the Philippine vessel to immediately stop its illegal intrusion. However, the Philippine vessel ignored it and insisted on rushing into the lagoon of Ren'ai Jiao, causing a dangerous collision with a Chinese coast guard vessel and a fishing boat. The conflict has strained the situation on the ground and provoked condemnation from the Chinese side of the Philippines.
In an emergency statement, a spokesperson for China said that this is a serious violation of rights and provocations, and China firmly opposes it. China has lodged solemn representations with the Philippine side, demanding that the Philippine side immediately stop its infringement and effectively avoid further escalation. At the same time, China calls on the international community to remain calm on this matter and maintain regional peace and stability.
The Philippines claimed that their vessels were on routine patrol duty and that Chinese vessels had unreasonably harassed and threatened them. The Philippines** demands that China respect the legitimate rights and interests of the Philippines in the South China Sea and stop illegal land reclamation activities in the South China Sea. This position has led to serious differences between the two sides on the perception of the issue.
The incident has further deepened tensions between China and the Philippines and attracted widespread attention from the international community. In this context, the focus of the dispute between the parties is mainly on the cause of the dispute, their respective claims and future solutions.
First of all, as far as the cause of the dispute is concerned, China stresses that the illegal invasion by the Philippine side is the main cause of the conflict. They believe that the Philippine side's unauthorized entry into China's Nansha waters and its insistence on provocative acts without heeding warnings are the direct cause of the tension. The Philippines, on the other hand, insisted that they were just carrying out routine tasks and that the tough response of the other side was unreasonable.
Second, with regard to their respective rights and interests, China emphasizes its sovereignty and territorial rights in the South China Sea, and believes that patrolling and enforcing the law in the Nansha waters is part of its legitimate rights. They accuse the Philippine side of trying to violate China's territorial sovereignty while not having sufficient basis in international law to support their actions. The Philippines, for its part, stressed that it has legitimate rights and interests in the South China Sea and demanded that China respect these rights and interests and stop illegal land reclamation.
In terms of the response of the international community, countries have expressed concern and called on China and the Philippines to resolve disputes through dialogue and consultation. The UN Secretary-General issued a statement expressing concern and calling on all parties to exercise restraint and resolve their differences through peaceful means. The spokesperson of the United States also expressed concern and called on China and the Philippines to exercise restraint and resolve the dispute through diplomatic channels.
However, the complexity of the current situation and the differences between the two sides make it not easy to resolve the issue. Under such circumstances, the international community needs to play a more constructive role in promoting dialogue between China and the Philippines and finding solutions to the disputes. At the same time, all parties need to refrain from taking drastic words and deeds to avoid further escalating the situation and affecting regional peace and stability.
In general, the latest development of the dispute between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea has attracted wide attention from the international community, and all parties have called for resolving the dispute through dialogue and consultation to maintain regional peace and stability. However, due to the serious differences between the two sides on the understanding of the problem and the rights and interests of the two sides, the solution of the problem still faces great challenges. The international community needs to work together to create favourable conditions for dialogue between China and the Philippines in order to avoid further deterioration of the situation.