The Philippines has tolerated this for 24 years, but they have no intention of removing the stranded vessel from Second Thomas Shoal.
According to CNN, the Philippines plans to invest 100 million pesos (about 12.7 million yuan) in fiscal 2024 to build a new permanent facility.
to replace the landing ship "Sierra Madre", which has been stranded for 24 years, and provides foundation and dock services for other ships.
Although the final plan has not yet been determined, there may be two forms, one is the direct reinforcement of the landing ship "Sierra Madre", and the other is the construction of a small dock facility at Second Thomas Shoal.
And stationed personnel. However, as the Chinese Coast Guard has stepped up patrols of Second Thomas Shoal, the Philippines' plans may be wishful thinking.
Although the Philippines has frequently organized the "Sierra Madre" to send supplies, it is difficult for this illegally stranded wrecked ship to continue to exist, and it is obviously difficult for the Philippines to realize its intentions.
Due to the strength of the Chinese coast guard and the full protection of the Philippines, the Philippines has been unable to reinforce the broken ship for a long time.
The Philippines says the Sierra Madre is in a dilapidated state and will soon disintegrate if it is not reinforced as necessary.
Therefore, the Philippine side has taken a number of provocative actions, including taking the initiative to ram the Chinese interceptor ship and organizing a large number of fishing boats to cooperate in "picking up leaks" to penetrate the defense.
During the latest Philippine break-in, the chief of the general staff of the Philippine armed forces and the commander of the Western Military Region disguised themselves and took the initiative to ram the ship with water cannons, and were even carried onto the ship.
However, instead of returning the Philippine vessels to Mischief Island as usual, the Chinese side gathered 27 vessels near Second Thomas Shoal, 11 of which entered the lagoon of Second Thomas Shoal.
The landing ship "Sierra Madre" on the beach is about 2 km. The scale of this event is unprecedented, and it shows that China's attitude towards the Philippines has changed fundamentally.
Perhaps the Chinese side will take tougher measures to drive away the Philippine ship or solve the problem of the broken ship.
Whether it is to prevent the Philippines from repairing broken ships or building new buildings, as long as the Philippines continues to provoke, China will speed up the towing of broken ships or even the reclamation of islands.
Therefore, in the future, the conflict between the Philippines and China may escalate, the interception intensity may be increased in an all-round way, and water cannon sprays and hull collisions will become the norm.
The rusty interior of the coast guard's water cannon may have become a symbol of a more serious maritime conflict in the future.