The South China Sea dispute is a relatively sensitive issue between China and the Philippines, and it has a great impact on the relations between the two countries. Recently, Chinese and Philippine embassy personnel held a meeting in Beijing, in which both countries hope to resolve maritime issues through friendly consultations, noting that the South China Sea dispute should not be the only issue between the two countries. This attitude shows that the cooperation between China and the Philippines is reasonable and is also a good foundation for the further development of bilateral relations.
However, despite a series of diplomatic talks between China and the Philippines, the Philippine military has made another move on Ren'ai Jiao in the South China Sea, which has attracted widespread attention from the international community. According to the Philippine Army, the Philippine Air Force (AFF) used a C-208B light transport aircraft to carry supplies on an ultra-low overflight on Feb. 21 and dropped supplies on the illegal "beach" of Mount Madre at Second Thomas Shoal. This is the first time that the Philippine army has dropped supplies on Ren'ai Jiao. With Philippine shipping hampered, they took emergency measures.
The Philippine military's move is a clear challenge to China and a flouting of the negotiations between China and the Philippines. The Philippine military is trying to maintain its illegal "beaching" status in the South China Sea by dropping supplies on Renai Islands and reefs. However, this move by the Philippine military did not affect the "Ren'ai Island" as China's territory, nor did it solve the problem of the Filipinos "sitting on the beach" at sea.
First of all, this method of air transportation is more difficult to intercept than sea transportation, but it is more difficult to replenish it on a large scale. The C-208B light transport ship used by the Philippine army has a maximum carrying capacity of 16 tons, but also ultra-low distance resupply, so the quantity and quality of the supply have been restricted to a certain extent. Large building materials like reinforced concrete simply cannot be transported in such a way. Therefore, the airborne mode of the Philippine army can only provide some daily necessities, and cannot essentially solve the problem of the Philippines "sitting on the beach".
Second, there is a certain danger in this method of using air dropping. The C-208B light transport ship used by the Philippine army is slow, low altitude, poor stealth performance, and easy to be detected and tracked by radar. If the Philippine military repeatedly adopts the above means, China also has the right to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and security rights and interests, and we also have the right to take corresponding actions in this regard. This move by the Philippine military is very likely to trigger a head-on confrontation between China and the Philippines and lead to unnecessary loss of life, which is an issue that both the Chinese and Philippine militaries should consider carefully.
Third, the drop of supplies from the air has little impact on the overall situation between China and the Philippines. This move by the Philippine army seems to be a confrontation, but in fact it is a compromise. The Philippine side did not send aircraft carriers to carry out forced bombing of Chinese waters, but instead adopted a more moderate way to launch them, which also shows that the Philippine side is afraid of China's tough attitude and strength, so it did not act rashly. This move by the Philippine military has also left a certain amount of leeway for Sino-Philippine relations and allowed the two countries to engage in dialogue and consultation.
Overall, the Philippine military's delivery of supplies to the reef was both a failed challenge and an unyielding concession. Such an act has not affected China's position, nor can it solve the problem of the Philippines "sitting on the beach", nor can it affect the overall relationship between China and the Philippines. The Philippine military should clearly see that the South China Sea issue is not an important issue between China and the Philippines, or even between China and the Philippines. The Philippine military should immediately stop its illegal claims and provocative actions in the South China Sea, and return to dialogue with China in order to achieve cooperation between China and the Philippines, which is in the basic interests of the Philippines.