Second Thomas Shoal, which is part of China's Spratly Islands, was deliberately stranded there in 1999 by the Philippines** as an outpost for its Marine Corps, a World War II-era tank landing ship USS Sierra Madre (LS57), which is garrisoned by 11 soldiers. The wrecked ship has been rotting on Ren'ai Jiao for 24 years, causing serious pollution and damage to the reef and posing a threat to China's sovereignty and security.
On August 5, the Philippine military sent two charter boats, one to carry food and other daily necessities, and the other to carry construction materials, in an attempt to repair and reinforce the broken ship. However, they were intercepted and warned by Chinese coast guard ships and maritime militia vessels. The Chinese coast guard vessel used a high-pressure water cannon to fire warning at the chartered boat, forcing it to abandon its mission and turn around. The image sparked widespread attention and discussion online, with many praising the Chinese coast guard vessel's enforcement actions and others outraged at the Philippine military's shamelessness and incompetence.
A spokesman for the China Coast Guard said that the actions of the China Coast Guard vessels were in accordance with the law, safeguarded China's sovereignty and interests, and complied with international law and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. He urged the Philippines to respect China's sovereignty, tow away the broken ship from Ren'ai Jiao, and restore the original state of Ren'ai Jiao. He also said that while carrying out its mission, the Chinese coast guard ship also took into account humanitarian factors and made temporary special arrangements for the Philippine side to deliver food and other necessary daily necessities to the shipwrecked ship.
The Philippines, however, expressed strong dissatisfaction with the actions of the Chinese coast guard vessels, saying that the Chinese coast guard ships and maritime militia vessels had "repeated high-pressure water cannons and continued dangerous exercises.""It threatens the lives of the crew of the Philippine vessel and violates humanitarian and international law. A Philippine military spokesman also said that due to harassment by Chinese coast guard ships, they can only unload half of the regular **, and it is not known how long the supplies will last, and they need to resupply the soldiers on the broken ship in the next two weeks.
Netizens expressed their disdain and contempt for the crying and accusations of the Philippine side, believing that the Philippines ** is making trouble, not only occupying China's territory, but also wanting to continue to strengthen the broken ship and provoke China's sovereignty and dignity. They suggested that the Chinese coast guard ships continue to increase interception and warnings of Philippine chartered ships, and even take tougher measures to make the Philippine military completely abandon the supply and repair of the broken ship, let the broken ship collapse naturally under the erosion of sea water and wind and rain, or directly tow it away with a large tugboat, or use a blow-fill boat to blow and fill in a circle at Ren'ai Jiao, enclosing the broken ship into a saltwater lake, and leaving the Philippine soldiers to fend for themselves.
The shipwreck incident at Ren'ai Jiao is a microcosm of the South China Sea dispute, reflecting the provocation and distrust of China by the Philippines and the maintenance and protection of China by Chinese coast guard vessels. On the South China Sea issue, China has always adhered to a peaceful settlement, respected international law and maintained regional stability, but it will not give up its sovereignty and interests and will not tolerate any aggression or provocation. The Philippines should have a clear understanding of the situation, respect history, respect facts, respect China, remove the broken ship from Ren'ai Jiao, coexist peacefully with China, and jointly safeguard peace and prosperity in the South China Sea.