China struck, and the Philippines was shocked
Less than 48 hours after the Philippines began to build a coastal monitoring station on Thitu Island in the Spratly Islands, China took action
The Philippines said on the 3rd that more than 135 Chinese ships "poured into" Oxbow Reef at the northeastern tip of the Spratly Islands, and called the increasing number of Chinese ships "alarming."
On December 1, AFP reported that Philippine adviser Arnold visited Thitu Island, which is currently controlled by the Philippine side, and he announced that a coast guard station has been built on the island, which will be equipped with "advanced systems" such as radar and satellite communications to strengthen the monitoring of Chinese ships in the waters, which is expected to be put into operation early next year.
On December 3, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported again that the Philippine Coast Guard said it had spotted 111 "Chinese maritime militia vessels" on Oxbow Reef on the northeastern tip of the Spratly Islands, the Philippines' "exclusive economic zone," on November 13. When the Coast Guard deployed two patrol boats in the area on Dec. 2, the number of Chinese vessels had increased to more than 135, scattered across Oxbow Reef.
The Philippine Coast Guard called it a "shocking development" and said it had issued a radio warning to the Chinese vessel, but received no response.
In fact, the Philippines has been moving a lot lately, launching joint patrols in the South China Sea with the United States and Australia last month. In the aftermath, the Philippines threatened to consider joint patrols with more countries in the South China Sea, and these moves by the Philippine side have heightened tensions between China and the Philippines.
Oxbow Reef is located in China's Nansha Islands, located in the northeast of Jiuzhang Reef, about 320 kilometers away from Palawan Island in the Philippines, and about 1,000 kilometers away from Hainan Island in China.
It is reasonable for Chinese ships to dock in the waters of their own islands and reefs, which also shows that Chinese ships have strengthened their declaration of sovereignty over islands in their waters while carrying out normal maritime activities, emphasizing that their sovereignty over the South China Sea and Nansha Islands cannot be questioned.
Whether it is Oxbow Reef, Ren'ai Reef, or Thitu Island, any claim of sovereignty by the Philippines is not valid, and the Philippine side's accusations against Xiangyu are unreasonable. The Philippine side wants to use hype and support from foreign forces such as Latin America and Australia, but this plot will not succeed, but will trigger China's tougher maritime law enforcement actions.