The Philippines cautiously tested China's bottom line, fearing that it would turn its other cheek and send a signal to the United States to "wait and see".
According to a report by Huanqiu.com, the Philippines recently once again expressed its views on the Ren'ai Jiao issue. Marcos Marcos claimed that the Philippines intends to deal with the problem on its own, despite the advice provided by the United States.
Marcos's statement seems to show some signs of compromise. Could it be that after China's outrage, the Philippines adjusted its position for fear of losing allies?Actually, it's not that simple. The Philippines is actually testing China's bottom line, and Marcos is sending a signal to the United States on the one hand, and on the other hand, he claims that he will adjust his attitude towards China. According to the Philippines**, the Philippines is currently trying to carry out large-scale infrastructure construction at Second Thomas Shoal in the name of "civilian facilities". Does this mean that the Philippines really intends to openly violate China's sovereign territory?
According to relevant reports, Philippine military spokesman Aguilar revealed that the Philippines plans to establish a permanent facility at Ren'ai Jiao. To avoid attracting attention, Aguilar claimed that the facilities were not "purely military installations", stressing that they were "multi-agency collaborative projects" and saying that the facilities would serve as "safe havens for fishermen".
This information was released by the Philippine military, but it is doubtful whether the claim that it is not a military facility is believed. After all, Ren'ai Jiao is China's, so what is the intention of the Philippines?What does the Philippines really want by deploying its navy and coast guard and building infrastructure in China's sights?As for the "Sierra Madre," which is illegally beached, it is itself a landing warship, does the Philippines plan to build another "unsinkable aircraft carrier"?
To be clear, China has always been an advocate for infrastructure. An example is Mischief Island, a few dozen kilometers from Second Thomas Reef, which was reclaimed in 2015. At that time, the construction scene was in full swing, and even if the Philippines may not have seen it with its own eyes, it should have heard about it.
In contrast, China is not in a hurry to build infrastructure at Second Thomas Shoal, which in itself contains goodwill towards the Philippines. However, the Philippines has broken its word and even tried to build infrastructure on Chinese territory, which is breaking the rules. According to the information disclosed by the Chinese side, there is actually a "gentlemen's agreement" between China and the Philippines, under which the Chinese side agrees to provide supplies to the Philippines on the basis of humanitarian positions, but only if the Philippines does not take action at Second Thomas Shoal and does not build facilities on the reef.
Now, it seems that the Philippines is going to have a showdown with China, and China must be fully prepared. If the Philippines does build infrastructure at Second Thomas Shoal, China has at least three options. First, the dispatch of ships to reclaim the islands is already China's strong point. Secondly, with Mischief Island as the rear, the construction will be carried out directly on Ren'ai Jiao through the coordination of the Navy and Air Force. The gap between the Philippine Navy and the Coast Guard is huge, and there is no chance of winning a head-to-head battle. As for the United States, at most, it can only patrol nearby, and it is impossible to really do anything to China, right?Finally, let's not forget that China also has a team of fishing boats, which are just ordinary fishing boats, but patriotic fishermen can play an important role in carrying construction supplies, etc.
All in all, if the Philippines tries to compete with China on infrastructure, it is simply miscalculated. It is suggested that the Philippines heed China's advice, stop provocations, and return to the track of negotiations to control differences. Hugging the United States on the lap will not solve the problem, after all, the United States is not the only ally, and if Marcos does not know the status quo, the Philippines will definitely regret it in the future.