Recently, the landing ship on the beach on Ren'ai Shoal in the Philippines has once again attracted widespread attention. Many feared that the ship would disintegrate in the light of time, but the latest one shows that the Filipinos already have a plan in place. Let's take a look at the details in these **.
It is understood that nearly 25 years have passed since the landing ship entered Ren'ai Jiao on 9 May 1999. The Philippines have been trying to show their de facto control over Second Thomas Shoal with the dilapidated ship. Although China has taken full control of the reef and surrounding waters, the landing ship has remained on the reef. However, the Filipinos have acted beyond our expectations.
Recently, China and the Philippines held the eighth bilateral consultation meeting to exchange views and reach consensus on the South China Sea issue. According to the consensus, the two sides will maintain on-the-spot control, which means that the landing ship will remain beached at Ren'ai Jiao, while Chinese naval and air vessels will also patrol the area normally, and the two sides will maintain communication to avoid contradictions and confrontations. Nevertheless, many believe that the landing ship is not a cause for concern at all, believing that it will naturally disintegrate after 1-3 years. However, the latest** reveals some surprises.
*, we can clearly see that the hull of the landing ship has been eroded by rust, and there are multiple large holes in the bottom, which looks as if it could disintegrate at any moment. However, when we zoomed in** into the details, we found something surprising.
At the point where the bottom of the ship came into contact with the water, there were many pillars sticking out, a building material that is not seen on a normal ship. The main role of these pillars is to fix the connection of the landing ship to the underwater reef. In other words, these pillars have connected the Philippine landing ship to the underwater reef, and as long as the reef does not change significantly, there is no possibility of the ship disintegrating naturally.
Clearly, the Filipinos have already taken into account our concerns and have responded to them. They are well aware of the importance of Second Thomas Reef and want to maintain their presence through the reinforcement of ships. The Filipinos did not hesitate to take risks and repeatedly intruded into the Second Thomas Shoal area from the sea and air.
China has shown good faith and made some concessions to such behavior. China allowed Philippine ships to deliver essential supplies to Second Thomas Shoal to prevent Filipino soldiers from dying of starvation. However, the Philippines has not relented, sending planes to carry out aerial drops and hyping its de facto control over Second Thomas Shoal. The Chinese coast guard also issued a statement accusing the Philippines of trying to change the situation in the region.
The Philippines is not taking the plunge to deliver more supplies, but to step up the transport of building materials. They knew that as long as the construction materials were delivered, the landing ship could continue to strengthen the connection between the hull and the seabed, so as to maintain a permanent presence on Second Thomas Shoal. However, China cannot tolerate such behavior.
As China, we have sufficient naval and air forces to fully control the situation at Second Thomas Shoal and the surrounding waters. Under such circumstances, we must not relax our precautions against the Philippines and still need to stick to our principles. We can send some necessary supplies, but we must not allow construction materials to be delivered. No matter what kind of articles the Philippines makes on the **, no matter what actions they take in the relevant sea and airspace, we cannot open our mouths.
Counting on the ship to rot on its own? The Filipinos already have a countermeasure. In the face of the Philippines' actions, China must remain vigilant and resolutely adhere to the bottom line of principle. Ren'ai Jiao is China's inherent territory, and we have the responsibility to safeguard our sovereignty and interests. Only through firm positions and stability measures can we ensure peace, stability, development and prosperity in the South China Sea.