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Recently, the Philippines has frequently provoked the South China Sea issue in an attempt to encroach on China's islands, reefs and rights and interests in the South China Sea through various means. This has laid hidden dangers for peace and stability in the South China Sea. We should face up to what the Philippines has done and resolutely safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Philippines has recently taken a series of provocative actions in the South China Sea, such as Ren'ai Jiao and Scarborough Shoal last year, and its plots have been foiled by China. But the Philippines is complacent, and its ambitions are even more inflated. According to reports, the Philippine Congress even passed a bill a few days ago, claiming that "all artificial islands in the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines belong to the Philippines", which is tantamount to including many Chinese islands and reefs in the Philippine territory. This is undoubtedly an extremely egregious provocation. Since last year, the Philippines has committed dozens of provocative acts on the South China Sea issue. These moves have forced people to face up to the Philippines' attempt to encroach on China's sovereignty over islands and reefs. China needs to be on high alert. The reason why the Philippines dares to snatch China's islands and reefs through legislation so blatantly is mainly based on the so-called "South China Sea Arbitration Case". In 2016, the Philippines unilaterally initiated an arbitration in the South China Sea and received an absurd verdict. This so-called "arbitral tribunal" in The Hague completely violates the relevant provisions of international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and its judgment has no legal basis and no effect. 
However, the Philippines wants to use this as a basis to legitimize its seizure of China's islands and reefs. This argument is inherently untenable, and China will never accept it. The Philippines has adopted domestic legislation to designate China's islands and reefs as its own, which is undoubtedly tantamount to "firing the first shot" at China. According to the new Philippine law, Chinese islands and reefs such as Mischief Reef belong to the Philippines, which is completely unacceptable. Some analysts believe that after the Philippines completes its domestic legislative preparations, it is likely to start implementing the plan to seize the islands and launch a wider range of provocations against China. This means that the situation in the South China Sea is about to escalate. As a responsible power, China needs to exercise maximum restraint, but it also needs to be prepared for every eventuality. The Philippines must not be allowed to misjudge the situation and take risky actions on its own. In particular, Mischief Reef is very important to China. It is one of the few large-scale natural harbors in the Nansha Islands, and it is also an important logistics support base for our military in the South China Sea. Mischief Reef is home to our troops, shouldering the heavy responsibility of safeguarding sovereignty in the South China Sea. 
If the Philippines insists on seizing Mischief Reef, the PLA will inevitably expel it by resolute means. We must prevent Mischief Reef from falling into the wrong hands. From a strategic point of view, China has always exercised maximum restraint on the South China Sea issue and refrained from acting rashly, which reflects the mind of a responsible major country. However, we must also be clear that restraint is not weakness, nor can it be bullied. Once the Philippines crosses China's bottom line, the squadron will definitely respond with resolute means. China has the ability to defend every inch of its territory, and it is also determined to safeguard its national sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. We hope that the South China Sea will be good and friendly to our neighbors, but we will never allow anyone to encroach on an inch of China's territory. Finally, we call on the Philippines to put aside its prejudices, resolve differences with China through dialogue and consultation, and jointly maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea. How do you think China should respond to the Philippines' provocations in the South China Sea? Welcome to leave a message to discuss.