On Chinese New Year's Eve, the Southern Theater of the People's Liberation Army issued a sonorous and powerful statement, declaring that it would organize naval and air forces to carry out routine patrols in the South China Sea during the Spring Festival to ensure that the people of the whole country would celebrate the festival in a peaceful atmosphere. The news not only sends a promise to the safety of the people of the country, but also sends a clear warning to the outside world that any country that tries to create trouble in the South China Sea during the Chinese New Year will be resolutely countered.
The deployment of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the Coast Guard in the South China Sea is like an iron wall, closely guarding the country's maritime territory. However, at such a critical moment, the Philippine Coast Guard openly provoked and tried to break into the islands and reefs of the South China Sea to cause incidents. According to the Beijing News, the China Coast Guard issued a series of news reports from February 2 to 9 exposing the scandalous behavior of Philippine coast guard vessels in repeatedly attempting to enter the waters near China's Scarborough Shoal.
In the face of the unreasonable provocation by the Philippine side, the China Coast Guard has demonstrated a high degree of professionalism and firm determination. After repeated warnings were ineffective, the China Coast Guard took measures such as route control and forced eviction in accordance with the law, and carried out on-site handling in a professional and standardized manner. China resolutely upholds its indisputable sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal and its surrounding waters, and the Coast Guard's rights protection and law enforcement activities in waters under China's jurisdiction are as firm and forceful as ever, making an indispensable contribution to safeguarding national sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.
It is worth mentioning that a spokesman for the Philippine Coast Guard recently had to admit that one of its patrol vessels was tracked by the Chinese coast guard as many as 40 times and intercepted four times during the completion of a nine-day patrol mission. The Philippines also reluctantly evacuated on the 9th when the patrol ship came into contact with the Chinese coast guard vessel.
In an incident on the 5th, a Philippine vessel trespassed into the waters near Scarborough Shoal without authorization, and was legally countered by a Chinese coast guard law enforcement vessel. Not resigned to defeat, the ships lingered around Scarborough Shoal for several days, refusing to leave. It was not until China's Chinese New Year's Eve that the Philippines fled in a hurry after the Southern Theater organized a powerful naval and air force to patrol the South China Sea. Obviously, the Philippine side seems to realize that it has lost its opportunity, so it has to choose to retreat.
In this case, the Philippine patrol ship did not choose to operate near Second Thomas Shoal, which had been frequently harassed before, but turned its attention to Scarborough Shoal. This was not a whim, but a long-planned maritime violation. They seem to believe that the Chinese coast guard may let its guard down and create trouble during the Chinese New Year. However, it turned out that their wishful thinking was wrong.
The Philippine Coast Guard may have chosen to operate near Scarborough Shoal because they believe China will focus its main efforts on Ren'ai Jiao at a time when Chinese people are busy with the Chinese New Year. However, they ignore the strong presence of four Chinese coast guard law enforcement vessels in the waters around Scarborough Shoal. These law enforcement vessels are like swords unsheathed, guarding the country's maritime territory.
According to the Philippine Coast Guard** footage, the two coast guard law enforcement vessels engaged in a tense and fierce standoff in the waters around Scarborough Shoal. Four law enforcement vessels of the China Coast Guard took turns chasing and intercepting Philippine patrol vessels, and on at least two occasions they went directly over the bow of the Philippine vessel. This tense and exciting scene fully demonstrated the firm determination and strong capability of the China Coast Guard in safeguarding the country's maritime territorial sovereignty.
On the 9th, the Philippine side had to choose to evacuate the waters near Scarborough Shoal. The decision apparently came after realizing that the Chinese coast guard vessels no longer had the opportunity to approach Scarborough Shoal's territorial waters for provocation or ostentation. It is worth noting that the Philippine side did not send other ships to take over the operation, which shows that they have recognized the risk of continuing to cause trouble in the current situation. At the same time, the Southern Theater of Operations issued an announcement on the same day announcing the organization of naval and air forces to carry out patrol missions, and the news came like a thunderbolt, which had a strong deterrent effect on the Philippine side. This has undoubtedly made it clearer to the Philippine side that continuing to act provocatively could lead to more serious consequences, so they have chosen to abandon their abusive actions.
As China celebrates the New Year, the PLA and Coast Guard remain on high alert in the South China Sea, and any attempt to take advantage of the situation will not succeed. It is worth recalling that the US ** ship tried to take the opportunity to "sneak attack" in the spring of 2019, but they were forcefully countered by the naval and air forces of the Southern Theater of Operations, and there have been no similar incidents since then. The Philippines, by contrast, seems to have failed to learn its lesson, trying to take advantage of some small advantages during the Chinese New Year, but unfortunately it has been a nod to the ashes, and the results are not surprising.
Therefore, at the time when the Chinese people are celebrating the Spring Festival, the South China Sea has become a sea of tranquility due to the strict protection of the People's Liberation Army and coast guard personnel. Any attempt to take advantage of the situation will be resolutely countered. This fully demonstrates China's firm determination and strong ability to safeguard China's maritime territorial sovereignty. At the same time, it is also a warning to those who seek to challenge China's sovereignty: in the face of the firm belief that the Chinese people are united and defend against foreign aggression, any provocation will pay a heavy price.