"Actual control" is a word often mentioned in disputes in the South China Sea, which implies effective jurisdiction and control over the islands, reefs and shoals in the Spratly Islands.
However, the complexity and sensitivity of the South China Sea dispute have made neighboring countries cautiously engage in games and confrontations, and dare not easily trigger conflictsWe can only gradually strengthen the actual control over the key points in Nansha.
Some people believe that there are more than 230 islands, reefs and shoals in the Nansha Islands, and as long as troops are stationed on them, they are equivalent to actually controlling these islands and reefsIt ignores the real dynamics of the South China Sea and China's strategic intentions.
The reason why the South China Sea dispute has not been resolved for a long time is not because China has been unable to recover the occupied islands and reefsRather, it is because China wants to consider the best and diplomatic relations with neighboring countries, and does not want to trigger a large-scale war because of some islands and reefs.
To put it simply, if China decides to garrison Scarborough Shoal or Half Moon Reef, Sino-Philippine relations will collapse, if it garrisons Qiongtai Reef or Zengmu Shoal, Sino-Malaysian relations will break down, if China decides to garrison Scarborough Shoal or Half Moon Reef, China-Brunei diplomatic relations will be challenged, such a decision will be difficult to make.
Wan'an Bank, the southwestern gateway to the Spratly Islands, is an important strategic fulcrum for China in the South China Sea.
It is located in the southwest of the Nansha Islands, with a beach length of about 63 kilometers from east to west, an average width of about 11 kilometers, an area of about 700 square kilometers, and the shallowest sea depth is only about 17 meters.
Wan'an Bank is also the first gateway of the Strait of Malacca into the South China Sea, and the Wan'an Basin, where it is located, has an optimistic estimate of more than 5 billion tons of oil reserves, which has irreplaceable strategic value.
China will never give up its sovereignty claims, but it cannot ignore the stilt platforms that Vietnam has illegally built on themChina must strengthen its control over the Wan'an Bank and increase the intensity and frequency of patrols in and around it.
China's ability to control Wan'an Bank has been gradually improved over the years, most notably through round-the-clock monitoring and regular patrols.
Looking back at Chinese mainland's experience of safeguarding the sovereignty and integrity of Wan'an Beach, you will find that regular patrols have been achieved by the Chinese Navy and Coast Guard.
On May 8, 1992, China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and Christon Energy Company of the United States prepared to develop oil in Wan'an Bank, and Christon Company leased the Chinese scientific research vessel "Experimental No. 2" to enter the "Wan'an North-21 Contract Area" for the first time to carry out exploration operations according to the terms of the contract.
Vietnam forcefully sent five ships to encircle and monitor, intimidating the Chinese with submachine guns, and before China had launched exploration operations, it withdrew from the operation area and returned to sail, which shows that even a survey ship could not approach Wanan Beach at that time.
In the more than ten years since then, the Chinese coast guard and ** have rarely reached the waters of Wan'an Bank, not to mention the actual control, and there is not even ** attention in China.
It's 2019Relying on its proximity to Wan'an Beach and its garrison at Wan'an Bank, Vietnam did not take China seriously and brazenly authorized Rosneft to partially block China's Wan'an BankSet up a new rig and prepare for the extraction of natural gas.
In the face of the Vietnamese threat, China responded by treating others the way they wouldThe more advanced "Haiyang Dizhi No. 8" scientific research ship was dispatched to Wan'an Beach to carry out oil exploration operations, and at least 10 large coast guard ships were dispatched to escort the "Haiyang Dizhi No. 8" scientific research ship.
Major General Nguyen Minh Hoang of the Vietnamese Army bluntly said: "Once Vietnam fires the first shot, it will be an excellent excuse for the opponent to take full action, so the Vietnamese army must make every effort to avoid the outbreak of conflict." ”
Since then, China has achieved regular patrols in the waters of Wan'an Bank, with more frequent cruises and more advanced patrol ships, and at the beginning of 2023, the "Haiyang Dizhi 8" scientific research ship conducted a full-body scan in the South China Sea.
Less than 60 nautical miles from Vietnam's coastline, Vietnam dispatched Cheetah-class frigates in the hope of forming an asymmetrical suppression of Chinese coast guard vessels, but soon after departure, it discovered that a Chinese 052D guided missile destroyer and a H-6K bomber could arrive at any time to support, so it abandoned the operation that could escalate the situation.
Before 1988, China did not have a foothold in Nansha, and it could not get by, and the situation was extremely passive.
At that time, the Middle Ages seized the opportunity of UNESCO to build a marine observatory, built a marine observatory, and at the same time built a simple stilt house on six islands and reefs, and the stilt house is not considered to be the actual control of these islands and reefs.
The American "Wall Street**" believes that "China has fought a protracted war in the South China Sea, has become the dominant force in the South China Sea, and is driving the United States out of the South China Sea!" It is unlikely to be reversed unless there is a military conflict. ”
It can be said that China has actually controlled the waters of Wan'an Bank, because it has already achieved normalized patrols, all-weather monitoring, and multiple bases to strengthen the large navy, which can completely recover Wan'an Beach at any timeSince the Vietnamese stilt platform has not been dismantled to date, it is an incomplete state of actual control.