Since the middle of last month, the Philippines has been hyping up an event called the "Christmas Fleet Project". They plan to send 40 fishing boats on December 5 to try to deliver supplies to the wrecked ship "beached" on Second Thomas Shoal. On the one hand, the Philippine side's actions pay tribute to the frontline personnel, and on the other hand, try to demonstrate the rights of the international community. However, the Chinese side did not tolerate the provocative behavior of the Philippine side, so it gathered 135 fishing boats near Second Thomas Shoal, which quickly dispelled the illusions of the Philippine side.
China's swift and decisive response demonstrated its firm stance on the South China Sea issue. It is also a powerful response to the Philippines' attempts to challenge China's sovereignty. The Philippines** has been ambiguous on this issue, both admonishing civil society groups not to take risks and saying that the fishermen's actions are theoretically justified. In addition, the Philippine side also announced the establishment of a coast guard unit in the South China Sea in an attempt to monitor the ships sent by the Chinese side and increase the Philippine side's confidence and confidence. However, China's strength quickly made the Philippines understand that their provocations were doomed to be futile.
China's assembling of 135 fishing boats to defend Second Thomas Jiao demonstrates not only its numerical superiority, but more importantly, the capabilities of its coast guard vessels. The development of Chinese coast guard vessels has its own unique characteristics: fast, numerous and stable. First of all, fast, the speed of the Chinese coast guard ship is equivalent to that of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces**, which can reach 30 nautical miles. The second is that China has a large number of coast guard vessels, with nearly 200 coast guard ships with a displacement of more than 1,000 tons, and the total tonnage far exceeds the combined number of coast guard ships of the United States, Japan and the Philippines. Finally, there are several Chinese coast guard ships with a displacement of 120,000 tons, which are less limited by climatic factors when operating at sea.
In addition, the Chinese coast guard ship can compete with the Philippine side with its powerful firepower projection capability. The sheer strength and numerical superiority of China's coast guard vessels has made the Philippines realize that they cannot win by numbers, let alone shake China's maritime power in the South China Sea.
The Philippines decided to choose a provocation at this time, mainly for two reasons. First of all, the Philippine side's situation of "beaching" and shipwreckage does not allow for optimism. The South China Sea has a hot climate and the possibility of typhoons in summer, so the Philippines urgently needs supplies. However, the Chinese side has been preventing the Philippines from transporting supplies to the "beached" wrecked boats, so the Philippines has chosen to make a new attempt to send fishing boats to deliver the supplies. Second, the Philippines hopes to gain sympathetic support from disputed countries in the South China Sea. Recently, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Vietnam, and some people speculated that the purpose of the Philippine provocation was to undermine relations between China and Vietnam in order to win Vietnam's support.
However, the Philippines needs to understand that ASEAN countries have not given any support to its hype and co-optation, but have emphasized maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea. For China, safeguarding maritime sovereignty and security is of paramount importance, and China has sufficient capabilities and confidence to respond to the malicious provocations of the Philippines and the interference of external forces.
China's dispatch of 135 fishing vessels to defend its sovereignty in the South China Sea is not only a clear statement to the Philippines and any external forces that provoke China, but also an expression of China's determination and will to maritime sovereignty and security. China has always adhered to the principle of peaceful coexistence, but in the face of provocation and interference, China has sufficient capabilities and confidence to respond. China's absolute superiority and firm position send a clear message to the Philippines and any external forces that provoke China that safeguarding maritime sovereignty and security is China's bottom line and cannot be touched.
In short, on the South China Sea issue, China adheres to the position of peaceful coexistence and does not tolerate any provocation or aggression. The strength and numerical superiority of China's coast guard vessels have made the Philippines understand that they cannot win by numbers, let alone shake China's maritime power in the South China Sea. The purpose of the Philippines' provocation is to meet its much-needed supplies and try to gain the support of the disputed countries in the South China Sea, but the Philippines needs to be clear that ASEAN countries do not support its hype and wooing, and China's position on the South China Sea issue has been recognized by the international community. No matter how much external forces interfere, China's determination and will to safeguard its maritime power and sovereignty remain unwavering.