With the Philippines continuing to provoke in the South China Sea, it's time for China to let go of its cleanliness fetish
Recently, the Philippines has frequently invited the United States and Australia to conduct joint patrols in the South China Sea, and even France has expressed its intention to join, claiming that it will carry out patrols in the South China Sea with the Philippines. The Philippines' motive for creating tensions in the South China Sea is obvious, in order to facilitate the introduction of these extra-regional states to intervene in the South China Sea in order to balance China's influence in the region. China's response to continued Philippine provocations has been relatively limited, leading to a passive situation that provides more room for Philippine provocations.
On the 9th, 3 Philippine official ships forcibly violated Scarborough Shoal, which is 14-1.At 9 nautical miles, it was sprayed by the water cannon of the Chinese Coast Guard. As a result of the incident, the communications and navigation equipment of the Philippine official ship was severely damaged. The Philippine side claimed that China used a long-range directional acoustic wave dispersion device, causing temporary disability and discomfort to some Filipino crew members. At the same time, the Chinese Coast Guard also dispatched rigid inflatable boats to drive away Filipino fishing boats that were waiting for fuel subsidies and food** to be issued by Philippine official vessels. Separately, a small Chinese coast guard boat once again installed a floating barrier at the southeast entrance to Scarborough Shoal. This time, China has taken a tougher stance than previous incidents, emphasizing "control" of Scarborough Shoal rather than simple eviction and surveillance. Although Philippine official vessels crossed the border into China's territorial waters, China's use of water cannons and directional sound waves to drive them away was considered a mild response, and even pointed out that the use of artillery shells to drive them away was also within the scope of the law. It is striking that the Philippine provocation was accompanied by a journalist, but in stark contrast to the current tense atmosphere, the crew and journalists seem to be unconcerned, as if they were on vacation, because they know that "China will not take substantive action".
It was precisely because of this miscalculation that the next day, two Philippine coast guard ships, one official ship, and one supply ship again tried to illegally beached Ren'ai Jiao in an attempt to transport construction materials. In the process, the Philippine "Yunaza May" No. 1 boat deliberately rammed with China's coast guard boat 21556, while the Chinese coast guard controlled it in accordance with the law. Judging by the recent high-intensity provocations by the Philippines, it seems that they are convinced that China will not act, and they dare to act so boldly.
Here, the word has to be mentioned - "moral cleanliness". Imagine what major country allowed a wrecked ship to be parked on its territory for more than 20 years, and even allowed other countries to send supplies to it for humanitarian reasons?Will Russia be?Will the United States be?The answer doesn't even need to be thought about. China has also been stereotyped that it may be capable, but it may have a moral ethic in this regard. Morality is a tool of self-restraint, and in an era when social order is in order, morality is beneficial to the development of society. However, in an era of the law of the jungle, too much attention to morality will only become a tool to bind itself, which is not good for the fight against the West. Especially in the current turbulent time of the international situation, it is time to abandon moral cleanliness. Not everything must follow the principle of "no first shot", there is no reason to treat robbers, only a tooth for a tooth.