Filipino reporters set foot on Scarborough Shoal again to connect with the scene. According to unconfirmed information on the Internet, on the morning of February 23, a ship named Philippine Fishery Administration No. 3002, carrying a number of Philippine ** reporters, entered the waters near Scarborough Shoal again. This time, under the pretext of "supplying Philippine fishermen," they took a number of Philippine television reporters to board the Scarborough Shoal reef on a small motorboat carried by the fishery administration boat, and conducted a live broadcast of a news program with Philippine television on the reef.
In the footage of the connection, many Filipino fishing boats can be seen gathering near the Scarborough Shoal reef, while several Chinese coast guard speedboats patrol the perimeter of the reef to prevent Philippine fishing boats from invading. The situation between the Philippine Fishery Administration Vessel 3002 and the China Coast Guard Vessel 3105, as well as a number of Chinese fishing vessels, was also monitored, while the Chinese Navy 175 guided-missile destroyer Yinchuan provided cover a little farther away.
In the Scarborough Shoal standoff, there was no collision between the two ships, and the Chinese coast guard did not fire water cannons. After a brief live connection, the Filipino reporter returned to the Philippine Fishery Administration Vessel 3002 and then left the scene, followed by three of our fishing boats.
Filipino reporters landing on Scarborough Shoal and broadcasting it live online may be a disappointment for some of our friends who follow the story. After all, no one wants that to happen. There may be several reasons for the Philippine side's successful landing on the reef this time:
First, the Philippines used fishery administration boats and lowered their dinghys to the reef, which we may not have anticipated. The small boats in the Philippines have a shallow draft, which makes it easier to approach the reef and move more quickly, while our boats are relatively large. Due to the deep draft, large ships cannot approach the reef or risk running aground. Thus, the Philippine side was successful in this sneak attack.
Second, it may be an agreed outcome between China and the Philippines. On January 17, the eighth meeting of the China-Philippines Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea issue was held in Shanghai, and the two sides have reached a tacit understanding to ease tensions in the South China Sea. China has strictly complied with its commitments, but the Philippines has once again reneged on its commitments and provoked disputes.
Third, China has once again restrained itself. As long as there is no occupation of the islands and reefs, China will continue to exercise restraint and avoid the escalation of the situation. When Philippine reporters landed on Scarborough Shoal, it was clear that they were only journalists and would not stop at Scarborough Shoal, so the Chinese side did not take drastic coercive action for the time being.
In fact, this is not the first time that Filipino personnel have landed on Scarborough Shoal. On January 28, they also sent people to Scarborough Shoal, and they also landed and evacuated quickly after a short period of time. This time, the situation is the same as before, and the Chinese side has not taken coercive action. It is reasonable to speculate that China has its own bottom line, and as long as it does not break our bottom line, it will not take drastic actions that could exacerbate the contradictions. The bottom line may be that Philippine military police, fishermen and engineering workers are not allowed to occupy the islands and reefs. As for the Filipino press crews, apparently they can't stir up too much of a stir, so we have shown them in contempt.
On the surface, the Philippine side has gained some face in this campaign, but in fact it has not changed the fact that Scarborough Shoal is still in our hands.
In any case, we would like to see more exciting news from our military police and fishermen.