The South China Sea dispute has always been one of the high-profile focuses on the international stage. Recently, the Philippines has been provoking foreign countries to intervene in the South China Sea and provoking China. However, China's counterattacks have been relatively limited, leading to even more rampant provocations in the Philippines. On this issue, China should put aside its moral obsession and respond to the Philippines' provocations with concrete actions.
Recently, the Philippines has frequently invited the United States, Australia and other countries to conduct joint patrols in the South China Sea, and even France has said it wants to join. The Philippines' aim is nothing more than to attract these countries to intervene in the South China Sea in order to balance China's influence. However, China's counterattacks have been relatively limited, leading the Philippines to be more brazen in its provocations.
Expanding: The Philippines' continued provocations are motivated not only by its covetousness of resources in the South China Sea, but also by its fear of China's influence in the region. The Philippines has successively invited the United States, Australia and other countries to conduct joint patrols in the South China Sea, and even courted overtures to France, indicating that it hopes to weaken China's dominance in the South China Sea by co-opting foreign countries. The Philippines' provocative actions have not only exacerbated tensions in the South China Sea, but also posed a serious threat to regional security and stability.
In the face of the Philippines' continued provocations, China's counterattacks have been relatively limited. This puts China in a passive position, further fueling the Philippines' provocative behavior. Recently, a Philippine official ship forcibly invaded Scarborough Shoal and was sprayed by the Chinese coast guard's water cannons, resulting in serious damage to the communication and navigation equipment of the Philippine official ship. The Chinese coast guard has also deployed rigid inflatable boats to drive away fishing boats waiting for Philippine subsidies and food**. In addition, the China Coast Guard has installed a floating barrier at the southeast entrance to Scarborough Shoal. While these initiatives are a bit tougher than in the past, they are still relatively limited.
Expanding: China has responded to the Philippines' provocations to some extent, but its current moves have been relatively limited. The Chinese coast guard has resorted to water cannon spraying against Philippine official vessels, which has somewhat deterred Philippine encroachments and caused some damage. In addition, China has asserted its rights and interests by deploying rigid inflatable boats and installing floating barriers. However, these countermeasures, while relatively tough, did not completely solve the problem and still could not fundamentally stop the provocations of the Philippines.
The provocation of the Philippines brings to mind one word -"Moral cleanliness"。China has been very cautious in dealing with the South China Sea, but to some extent it is also morally constrained. However, in international relations, too much emphasis on moral principles tends to bind oneself and put oneself at a disadvantage. Especially in an international situation where the law of the jungle still exists, it is necessary for China to put aside its moral obsession and respond to the Philippine provocation with more decisive actions.
Expanding: China has always been very cautious in its handling of the South China Sea and follows internationally recognized ethical norms. However, against the backdrop of the Philippines' ongoing provocations, overemphasizing moral principles will only put China on the back foot, potentially causing it to lose the initiative in the South China Sea. There is no doubt that in the international community, where the law of the jungle still exists, retaliating with a tooth for a tooth and resolutely safeguarding its own rights and interests is one of the choices that China has to consider. Therefore, it is necessary for China to put aside its moral attachment and respond to the Philippines' provocations with more decisive actions.
The Philippines' continued provocations in the South China Sea and relatively limited counterattacks against China have led to more impunity in the Philippines. In the face of the Philippines' provocations, it is necessary for China to put aside its moral obsession and respond with more decisive actions. In international relations, overemphasizing moral principles only binds oneself and puts oneself at a disadvantage. In the current international situation where the law of the jungle still exists, it is a reasonable choice for China to retaliate and resolutely safeguard its own rights and interests. Therefore, China should put aside its moral obsession and respond to the Philippines' provocations with concrete actions to safeguard its rights and interests in the South China Sea.