In 1982, the member states of the United Nations agreed to adopt the United Nations Convention on the Sea Act, which sets out in detail the requirements for the delimitation of maritime territory by each country, including the recognition of sovereignty over islands.
Under the law of the Convention, the sovereign State of each island has the right to a 12-nautical-mile territorial sea, a 12-nautical-mile contiguous zone and a 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone around the island.
Since the implementation of the law in 1994, China's neighboring countries have begun to question the ownership of the Nansha Islands.
China's sovereignty over the Spratly Islands has been the subject of international controversy, with Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and other countries claiming it. Among them, the Philippines was particularly active, and in order to occupy Ren'ai Jiao, it even sent a ** to stay there for more than 20 years.
So, what's going on with this ** now? How did the Filipino crew on board live? At the beginning of the dispute, the Philippines attempted to forcibly occupy all the islands in China's territorial waters south and southeast of China's Hainan Island, collectively known as Nanhai Zhudao.
According to the distribution situation, Nanhai Zhudao can be divided into four major islands: Dongsha Islands, Zhongsha Islands, Xisha Islands and Nansha Islands. However, Nanhai Zhudao and its surrounding waters have been part of Chinese territory since ancient times.
In 1840, after Britain opened the door to China under the rule of the Qing Dynasty with opium, China's territory began to be incomplete, and it became the object of partition by Western powers.
After a hundred years of disputes, China gradually became stronger and gradually recovered the islands occupied by the invaders. China has always adhered to the foreign policy of safeguarding world peace, promoting common development and adhering to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, and has demonstrated goodwill towards other countries.
However, some countries have taken advantage of this, including the Philippines. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the United States became the world's sole superpower and began to manipulate the world pattern at will.
In March 1999, the US-led NATO proposed to the United Nations a military strike against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which was vetoed by the United Nations, and China also voted against it.
On 24 March, NATO carried out a 78-day military bombardment of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, in defiance of United Nations resolutions. What is sad is that in the early morning of May 8, 1999, the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia was hit by five joint direct attack missiles dropped by the US-led NATO organization using B-2** bombers, killing three Chinese journalists and injuring dozens of others.
China has expressed strong condemnation and condemnation of this. However, while the two sides were negotiating, the Philippines, at the direction of the United States, sent a dilapidated ship to secretly go to Ren'ai Jiao in China's Spratly Islands on May 9.
Since the introduction of the United Nations Convention on the Sea Act, the Philippines has been coveting Second Thomas Shoal. Taking advantage of China's distraction while China was negotiating with NATO, they took action and landed on Second Thomas Shoal, claiming that the ship's hold was damaged.
However, their bizarre behavior has long been discovered by Chinese fishermen near Second Thomas Shoal and reported to the Chinese customs department. China then conducted a secret investigation and found that the ship's crew were all strong young men and equipped with standard equipment**.
This seemingly dilapidated ship is actually camouflaged as **, with a deep historical background, and was once the US Navy's Class 542 tank landing ship "Sierra Madre" during World War II.
Sierra Madre was once the property of the United States, but it was transferred to the Philippines in 1976. Now, the Philippines has docked the ** near Ren'ai Jiao for an unknown purpose.
The Philippines had said the ship had docked because of a hull failure, but that was not the case. At that time, China was too busy negotiating with NATO to deal with the issue in a timely manner. The Philippines took the opportunity to dock the Sierra Madre on Second Thomas Shoal for more than 20 years.
Ren'ai Jiao is a small island in China's Nansha Islands, located in the range of 9 degrees 39-48 minutes north latitude and 115 degrees 51-54 minutes east longitude. The Philippines' behaviour has shown its rogue nature, and the value of Second Thomas Shoal cannot be overlooked.
Ren'ai Reef, with a total sea area of about 51 square kilometers, is rich in fish resources and variety, and is one of the fishing grounds of fishermen in China. In addition, Ren'ai Jiao has important strategic value, 33 kilometers west of Ren'ai Jiao is Mischief Island, the largest island in China's Nansha Islands.
With more than 5 billion tonnes of oil reserves between Second Thomas Shoal and Mischief Island, Reed Bank is an important strategic resource. Mischief Island is an important base for the Chinese Navy to protect its rights and interests in the South China Sea, with hospitals, airports, factories and other facilities, and is an important supply point.
Second Thomas Reef is a natural barrier to Mischief Island, so protecting Second Thomas Reef is protecting Mischief Island.
Ren'ai Jiao is 800 kilometers from Hainan Province and only 200 kilometers from the Philippines. It is rich in mineral resources, and because of its proximity to the Philippines, the Philippines has tried to meddle in the reef and create it"Sierra Madre"The grounding of the number.
The broken ship, which has a service life of nearly 55 years, is close to being scrapped. However, docking such a broken ship on Ren'ai Jiao and using it to fight for the ownership of Ren'ai Jiao is a sure-fire deal anyway.
After all, if you win, you can get Ren'ai Jiao, and if you lose, you will only lose a broken ship. In the face of such rogue behavior by the Philippines, what has China done in response?
After the Philippine side made a promise to "sail away as soon as the ship is repaired", it did not send any maintenance personnel and technicians, not even to support the ship.
This is a clear indication that they are ready for a long stop.
The Philippines has tried to stay on Second Thomas Shoal by sending Marines on board, but the Chinese Navy has begun to closely monitor its movements and resolutely stop it from sending construction materials and military supplies to Second Thomas Shoal.
Nevertheless, the Chinese side allowed ships transporting fresh water and food to enter out out of the country. However, China did not forcibly drive the wrecked ship in the first place, partly because its naval strength was not yet fully developed at the time, and secondly, given the international tensions caused by the Yugoslav incidents, so it did not want to waste too much energy on this matter.
Second, the Philippines' "nail household" behavior on Ren'ai Jiao is like a dog's skin plaster, although it exists, it cannot shake the fact that Ren'ai Jiao belongs to China.
For China, this is just a broken ship. As China grows, China's maritime military strength grows stronger, and it is a matter of time before the broken Philippine ship is driven away.
China has always adhered to the principle of peaceful development, and has adopted the strategy of shelving disputes and pursuing joint development in dealing with territorial disputes in the South China Sea. These small moves by the Philippines cannot change the fact that China is increasingly controlling the South China Sea.
Therefore, as long as the Philippines does not make excessive moves, China and the Philippines can continue to cooperate in the name of friendship, and as for the wrecked ship, let it stay where it is.
The actions of the Philippines not only showed their rogue side, but also led to the difficult life of the soldiers stationed on the ship for several years. In order to wash off the label of "scoundrel" and publicize the legality of his actions, the Philippines** even invited an American journalist to board the "Sierra Madre" for an interview visit.
However, this behavior did not change the nature of the Filipino ** scoundrels, and the "miserable" life of the soldiers continued.
Thomas Ezler, an American journalist, sailed to Second Thomas Shoal on a wooden fishing boat with Philippine Mayor Eugenia Beato in April 2013. For this interview, they worked with the Philippines for two months to prepare.
When he first saw the Sierra Madre, Thomas was stunned by its rusty, hole-riddled hull, as if the ship was ready to dismantle at any moment. He described it as a "ghost ship standing on Ren'ai Shoal", and there was no trace of a warship to be seen.
Upon boarding, Thomas found that the deck was divided into many areas by lines.
The Filipino crew told Thomas that the deck had been badly corroded due to the long exposure to the wind and sun, and although it appeared to be intact on the surface, it was in fact completely rusted and could not bear any weight.
To avoid danger, they drew restricted areas and safe zones after multiple injuries. The crew then led Thomas on a tour of their makeshift home, which was just a makeshift building made of makeshift materials with worn mattresses, mosquito nets and some simple household items.
The hull was full of cracks, and in case of rain and typhoons, water would enter the living quarters along the cracks, soaking the mattresses, and then they would not even have a place to sleep.
At sea, far from land, in addition to resting, another important issue for the survival of the crew is how to solve the problem of food and water. To cook, they use rice cookers and electric woks, and the electricity comes mainly from an old diesel generator.
In addition to providing electricity for cooking, generators also have an important task, which is to charge the battery. The crew is mainly in touch with the Philippines through the radio, which can only run on direct current and generators break down from time to time, so recharging the batteries every day is a must.
In terms of food, they are both waiting for support from the Philippines and self-sufficient. In addition to the fresh water they get from the Philippines, they also collect rainwater through plastic bags and containers on rainy days to solve the problem of domestic water.
The crew eats fish as their main food**, and they go into the water every day to catch fish, which has become one of their daily pastimes. If they catch too much fish to eat, they simply treat the fish and dry it to dry it for rainy or typhoon weather.
Although this fills the boat and living quarters with a fishy smell, every time supplies from the Filipino ** arrive, it is the happiest day for them, because in addition to rice and vegetables, they can also taste fried chicken donated by Filipino students.
In"Sierra Madre"On the ship, in addition to the crew, there is a special one"Residents"。The crew told us that due to water leaks in the hull, certain areas of the hull become dark and damp after each rain, and because these areas were not exposed to sunlight and thoroughly cleaned for a long time, they gradually became breeding grounds for cockroaches, rats and mosquitoes.
The crew had tried to drive away and clean up the infestation, but the results were always unable to keep up with the speed at which they could multiply. Some of the damaged areas are even more inaccessible, so the number of cockroaches and mosquitoes on board has increased dramatically.
It is estimated that there are now nearly a million cockroaches on the 100-meter-long ship. Despite this dilemma, the crew continued their daily work as usual, in addition to keeping an eye on the movements of nearby Chinese vessels, and also carrying out tasks such as fishing, maintenance and cabin cleaning.
On board, with only two satellites**, a weekly call to the family may be the crew's only hope. Barnacles around the bottom of the boat, if left uncleaned, can accelerate the corrosion of the hull, making it even more dangerous.
Despite constant crew maintenance, prolonged exposure to wind and sun and sea erosion have left the ship crumbling. The Philippines had tried to transport materials to repair the ship, but they were intercepted by the Chinese because they had reached the limit of what they were allowed to dock.
China's attitude towards friendly negotiations with the Philippines has not changed, but the Philippines has repeatedly violated its commitments by transporting food to the Sierra Madre to transport maintenance materials, which has made the Chinese side angry.
For this reason, China's patrol fleet in the Nansha Islands area has forbidden the Philippines to approach the "Sierra Madre" for any reason, and the supply of living materials for the crew can only rely on airdrops.
However, the accuracy of the airdrop could not be guaranteed, and many supplies were thrown into the sea due to errors, making the living conditions of the crew even more difficult. Despite this, China has always adhered to an attitude of friendly consultation, however, the scoundrels and greed of the Philippines have touched China's bottom line and put the crew of the "Sierra Madre" in a miserable situation.
When Filipino journalists boarded the Sierra Madre in April 2020, he found the ship in an even worse state, with the shell weathered in many areas, revealing its internal structure.
Under the forces of nature, if there is no outsider intervention, the disintegration will be the inevitable fate of this ship, and at that time, the Philippines will have no reason to meddle in the issue of Second Thomas Shoal.