"Actual control".It's a high-frequency word in the South China Sea disputes, so why do we hear it so often? The reason is that the disputes in the South China Sea are too complicated, and the neighboring countries have formed a certain degree of balance after a long period of game and confrontation, and can only strengthen their ability to control the key points of the Nansha Islands little by little, that is, the actual control.
Previously, many people believed that there were more than 230 islands and reefs in the Nansha Islands, and whoever has troops stationed on these islands and reefs is the one who actually controls the islands and reefs.
The reason why the South China Sea dispute has not been completely resolved is not because the islands and reefs have been controlled, but because China has been delayed by considering the importance of diplomatic relations with neighboring countries.
To put it simply, if China makes up its mind to garrison Huangyan Dao or Half Moon Reef, Sino-Philippine relations will break down, if it garrisons Qiongtai Reef or Zengmu Dark Sands, China-Malaysia relations will break down, if it garrisons Wan'an Beach, Sino-Vietnamese relations will break down, and if it garrisons Nantong Reef, China's diplomatic relations with Brunei will be tested.
An important strategic fulcrum of the Nansha Islands.
How to recover the Nansha islands and reefs without completely deteriorating relations with neighboring countries requires the wisdom of a major country, and more importantly, we need historical opportunities, and we need to be prepared to quickly recover the occupied or important uninhabited islands and reefs when the time is ripe.
As a simple example, there is an old ** illegally beached by the Philippines on Ren'ai Jiao, does the Philippines actually control Ren'ai Jiao? Apparently not, the Philippines can't even send supplies. If the US forces are stationed on one of these islands, the threat will be greater than that of the Philippines to occupy eight islands and reefs? The threat of the United States controlling one base is much greater than that of Vietnam occupying 29 islands and reefs, because if you want to move this base, you have to consider the dozens of military bases in the vicinity of the United States, and this is the essence of actual control.
Control that can be held is truly "actual control."When someone illegally builds a few stilt houses or plants a national flag on a huge reef or shoal, it is said that it has been occupied or actually controlled by a foreign country, which is a sign of being taken by the enemy.
Some of the islands and reefs occupied by Vietnam, such as Spratly Island, Hongxu Island, Bisheng Reef and other islands and reefs, Vietnam has experienced several decades, has sound military facilities, and the largest number of troops stationed on the islands are nearly 1,000 people, and a large number of civilians have been relocated.
Satellite image of Spratly Island, China (Viet Nam Occupation).
A fierce landing operation is necessary to recover these heavily garrisoned islands and reefs, and there is no major dispute that such islands and reefs are considered to be under Vietnam's actual control, but are the islands and reefs such as Wan'an Bank, a strategic point in the southwest of the Spratly Islands, also under Vietnam's actual control? It is true that there are a number of illegally built stilt platforms in Vietnam on Wanan Beach, but to say that Vietnam actually controls it is in the hands of Vietnamese radical forces and the West.
Vietnam's illegal stilt platform location at Vanguard Bank.
Wan'an Beach is located in the southwest of the Nansha Islands, with an average width of about 63 kilometers from east to west, an average width of about 11 kilometers, an area of about 700 square kilometers, and the shallowest sea depth is only about 17 meters, which is suitable for the establishment of a natural harbor and a large-scale transit base.
Wan'an Bank is also the first gateway of the Strait of Malacca into the South China Sea, and the oil reserves in the Wan'an Basin, where it is located, are optimistically estimated to exceed 5 billion tons, with irreplaceable strategic value, we must not admit Vietnam's so-called "occupation", but the existence of the stilt platform must be highly valued, China must strengthen the control of Wan'an Bank, and increase the patrol intensity and frequency of Wan'an Bank and its nearby waters.
Location map of Wan'an Beach.
Map of the extent of the Wan'an Basin.
After years of efforts, China's actual control ability over Wan'an Beach has been gradually strengthened, and the most significant sign is the realization of all-weather monitoring and normalized cruise.
You can't take abuse for granted like a keyboard warrior！Looking back at Chinese mainland's experience of safeguarding the sovereignty and integrity of Wan'an Beach, you will find that regular patrols are achieved by how hard the People's Navy and the Coast Guard have put in.
On May 8, 1992, China National Offshore Oil Corporation and the United States Christian Energy Company were preparing to develop oil in Wan'an Bank, and Christon Company leased the Chinese scientific research ship "Experimental No. 2" to enter the "Wan'an North-21 Contract Area" for the first time to carry out exploration operations according to the terms of the contract.
Experiment No. 2" research vessel.
In the following ten years, the Chinese coast guard and ** rarely reached the waters of Wan'an Beach, not to mention the actual control, there was not even ** attention in China, many times I wanted to find the dynamics of Wan'an Beach, and I got Vietnam ** to find information, and the time came to 2019, Vietnam relied on its own closer to Wan'an Beach, and its Wan'an Beach has garrisons, so it did not take China in its eyes, and blatantly authorized Rosneft to set up a new drilling platform in some blocks of Wan'an Beach in China and prepare to exploit natural gas.
In the face of the threat from Vietnam, China responded by using the means of treating others in the same way as others, sending a more advanced scientific research ship "Haiyang Dizhi No. 8" to Wan'an Bank to carry out oil exploration operations, and at the same time sending at least 10 large coast guard ships to escort the "Haiyang Dizhi No. 8" scientific research vessel.
The scene of the confrontation at Wan'an Beach.
Vietnamese Army Major General Nguyen Minh Hoang said bluntly:"Once the first shot is fired by Vietnam, it will be an excellent excuse for the opponent to "take full action", so the Vietnamese army will do everything in its power to avoid a conflict. ”
At the beginning of 2023, the "Haiyang Dizhi VIII" scientific research ship conducted a full-body scan in the South China Sea, less than 60 nautical miles away from the Vietnamese coastline, Vietnam dispatched a Cheetah-class frigate, hoping to form an asymmetric suppression of the Chinese coast guard ship, but soon after departure, it was found that a Chinese 052D missile destroyer and a H-6K bomber could arrive at any time to support, so it gave up the operation that could escalate the situation.
052D missile destroyer.
The wisdom of a great power is sometimes done inadvertently by ordinary people, before 1988, China did not have a foothold in Nansha, and the situation was extremely passive, when the Middle Ages seized the opportunity of UNESCO to build a marine observatory, built a marine observatory, and at the same time built a simple stilt house on 6 islands and reefs, and the stilt house is not considered to actually control these islands and reefs, Gaven Reef was attacked by a sneak attack and wiped out by the whole army, this layout has now become seven new cities on the sea, The situation in Nansha has been completely reversed.
Aerial photograph of Fiery Cross Island.
Aerial photograph of Fiery Cross Island.
The American "Wall Street**" believesChina has fought a protracted war in the South China Sea, has become the dominant power in the South China Sea, and is driving the United States out of the South China Sea! It is unlikely to be reversed unless there is a military conflict.
It can be said that China has actually controlled the waters of Wan'an Bank, because it has already achieved normalized patrols, all-weather monitoring, and multiple bases to strengthen the large navy, and can completely recover Wan'an Bank at any time.