The Philippine beached ship "died soon" at Ren'ai Jiao, and at a critical juncture, the United States actually extended a helping hand to help itDue to the collusion between the United States and the Philippines in the South China Sea, the US Department of Defense handed over its cards to the United States. What is the US side's plan for the Philippine beached ship?What did the Ministry of Defense say?
According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun on November 21, some senior Philippine officials said that Manila and Washington have begun informal discussions on the structure of the landing ship "Sierra Madre" at Second Thomas Shoal, which is a special maintenance plan. The point of contention is how long the ship will be able to hold out without repairs. The United States and the Philippines intend to set a timetable based on this.
Philippine officials say the United States can help with the repair process, such as material transportation and security, although the two sides have not discussed the issue. The U.S. defense senior said the U.S. is willing to help the Philippines repair its old one.
As everyone knows, since the Philippines deliberately towed the "Beach" landing ship "Ren'ai Jiao" in the last century, China has repeatedly asked the Philippines to tow the "Beach" away, but the Manila side has always turned a deaf ear. Since Marcos came to power, the Philippines has strengthened its military cooperation with the United States and has been increasingly active near Second Thomas Shoal. In late October, for example, the Philippines tried to transport construction materials to the Zatan, but was stopped by China.
You must know that the Philippines' refusal to tow away the "beached ship" is actually an attempt to permanently occupy the "Ren'ai Jiao," which is unacceptable to China. Moreover, Marcos** came to Ren'ai Jiao three times and twice** to a large extent because the beached ship was "shortly dead". Powell, a scholar at Stanford University in the United States, once said, "The ship is almost finished, and it may soon be disintegrating." "In this case, it is understandable that the Americans want to help the Philippines repair the beached ship.
Regarding the US side's attempt to reinforce the "beached ship," US Defense Department spokesman Senior Colonel Wu Qian said at a regular news conference on 30 November that the "Ren'ai Jiao incident" is a bilateral affair between China and the Philippines and has nothing to do with the United States. For the sake of its own selfish interests, the United States has intervened in the South China Sea issue, instigated and supported the Philippines in violating the law and causing trouble, and aggravated tensions in the South China Sea, which China firmly opposes. Wu Qian also stressed that China strongly condemns the erroneous acts of relevant countries in provoking confrontation and disrupting peace and stability in the South China Sea, and urged them to be cautious in their words and deeds. China's military forces will take strong measures to safeguard the country's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.
In fact, since the end of the South China Sea arbitration turmoil, the Philippines** has also abandoned confrontation for a long time and turned to establish friendly relations with China and expand economic and trade cooperation. However, the recent frequent provocations by the Philippines in the South China Sea are in stark contrast to other countries in the South China Sea, apparently at the behest of the United States. As for the current dispute between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, the United States is on the side of the Philippines and has even come up with the "US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty" to include other islands in the South China Sea. Even after the confrontation between China and the Philippines at Ren'ai Jiao, they also gathered Japan, Australia and other countries to conduct military exercises and Xi in front of the Philippines to show their support.
The Philippines knows full well that it cannot clash with China in the South China Sea with its military and economic power alone. Therefore, while the Philippines is dependent on the United States, it also has the intention of forming alliances with other countries. The top Philippine military chief recently publicly stated that next year, in addition to the United States and Australia, other countries may participate in multilateral patrols in the South China Sea.
Despite the Philippines' best efforts, sovereignty over Second Thomas Shoal has never been disputed. As for the "beached" ship anchored at Ren'ai Jiao, it is also scarred now, and it is long overdue to draw an end. China will never allow the Philippines to use this dilapidated ** to strengthen itself and thus occupy Second Thomas Shoal. For the Philippines, taking the initiative to tow it away or let it disintegrate on its own is the most reasonable option.
How does the international military view the Philippines' provocation at Ren'ai Jiao?