Since Marcos Jr. came to power, the Philippines has been provocative and confronting China in the South China Sea, but it has been hit with a lot of money.
Late at night on February 19, the Southern Theater announced that the Philippines had joined forces with foreign countries to disrupt the South China Sea and organize so-called "joint air patrols" that day. In this regard, the Southern Theater of the Chinese People's Liberation Army has taken decisive action and organized front-line naval and air forces to closely monitor to maintain a high degree of vigilance. The theater troops resolutely defend national sovereignty, security and maritime rights and interests, and at the same time resolutely safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea.
Although the military's response was brief, it clearly conveyed three important messages: first, the so-called "joint air patrol" was nothing more than a hype aimed at creating a topic; Second, the PLA has taken swift action and dispatched front-line naval and air forces to effectively control the situation. Finally, China has long been prepared for the actions of the Philippines and a foreign country, and has the ability to defend its own interests.
The Southern Theater statement did not directly name the "extraterritorial country" that colluded with the Philippines, but used the word "co-optation" to make the relationship more nuanced. Although the identity of this "extraterritorial country" is widely understood, the complexity of the Philippines' relationship with it also makes the truth of the relationship confusing. In the face of this so-called "extraterritorial country", the Philippines is just one of the insignificant ants.
Over the past year or so, the Philippines has escalated its provocations against China in the South China Sea, mainly in the competition for Scarborough Shoal and Ren'ai Jiao. It is worth mentioning that although Scarborough Shoal is still under Chinese control, and the broken ships on Second Thomas Shoal are rapidly decomposing under the erosion of the sea, the Philippines has not been able to take effective measures to change the situation. In the process of wrestling between the two sides, China has always exercised restraint, and even at the most intense time, it has only driven away Philippine ships close to Xiang** Reef, without resorting to more drastic measures.
While China has exercised restraint, the Philippines has been unable to respond effectively, demonstrating a clear disparity in strength.
Looking back at the outbreak of the Scarborough Shoal crisis between China and the Philippines in 2012, China not only took resolute military measures to stop the Philippines' attempts, but also implemented a series of countermeasures on the economic front, including refusing to enter a batch of substandard Philippine bananas, which led to a continuous decrease in the number of tourists to the Philippines and brought heavy economic losses to the Philippines.
At present, China-Philippines economic and trade cooperation is more extensive, and China has become the largest partner of the Philippines and the largest foreign investment country. In this case, if China chooses to take countermeasures and sanctions similar to those imposed on the Philippines in 2012, it will deal a heavy economic blow to Marcos** and may even repeat the economic woes of the Aquino III era.
It is precisely because of China's strong ability to control the situation that we are able to maintain the fight against the Philippines in the face of the game with Washington. This ability deters Marcos** from daring to cross the thunder pond by half a step, and the provocations in the South China Sea are mostly harassment, with a war of words.
It is difficult for us to completely prevent the immaturity of a semi-colonial country like the Philippines from being manipulated by the United States and other countries outside the region. However, instead of following its dance, we can hold a thick stick and watch its bluff. Of course, we have also drawn red lines for them, and we will take decisive action if we cross the border.
Our goal is the sea of stars, and the Philippines is just a tiny corner of the whole picture.