In the early morning of March 5, the Philippines successfully transported a group of soldiers to the Stranded Shoal**. At the same time, the Chinese Coast Guard also issued an alert, saying that the Chinese Coast Guard has taken control measures in accordance with the law against Philippine vessels that intrude into the waters near Ren'ai Jiao in China's Nansha Islands.
During this time, tensions have become increasingly high over Second Thomas Shoal. In the early morning of March 5, the Philippines conducted a raid on Second Thomas Shoal, using four ships, including two small civilian supply vessels, the Yunaza May 1 and the Yunaza May 4, to transport soldiers. The operation coincided with the Philippines sending two coast guard vessels, the CABRA and the Sinandan, to protect the operation.
The Philippine military released aerial footage of the resupply operation at around 8 a.m., which showed two supply vessels, the "Yunaza May 1" and "Yunaza May 4," surrounded by Chinese coast guard vessels and large fishing boats. In this fierce confrontation, the Philippine side tried to take advantage of the small and nimble ship to directly rush out of the encirclement of the Chinese coast guard and fishing boats, while the Chinese coast guard ship 5204 used a variety of means, including high-speed reversing, to try to stop its advance.
It is worth noting that in previous incidents, the Chinese coast guard fired water cannons at Philippine supply ships, but this time the ** footage does not show a similar scene. This has raised questions about why the Chinese coast guard did not use water cannons to drive them away this time. Some analysts believe that it may be due to the fact that the Philippines has recently acquired a ship signal anonymity system called "dark vessel", which can transmit false location information, making it difficult for China to accurately intercept it. This also made the Philippines a success in this resupply operation.
In the course of the fierce confrontation, the Philippine side took advantage of the small flexibility of the ships to accelerate its efforts to break out of the encirclement of the Chinese coast guard and fishing boats and sail towards Ren'ai Jiao. The Chinese Coast Guard ship 5204 took all-out interception measures, and it is suspected that it used high-speed reverse to try to block the forward course of the Philippine vessel.
However, despite the various means used by the Chinese side to intercept it, the Philippine side eventually succeeded in forcing the breakthrough and sending soldiers and supplies to Second Thomas Shoal. The result raises questions about why the Philippines was able to force its way into Second Thomas Shoal in the face of China's blockades.
Regarding the final outcome of the incident, the Philippine military released information that it successfully transported soldiers and supplies. In a pre-report, ** noted that on March 4, there were 28 Chinese coast guard vessels and fishing boats around Second Thomas Shoal. However, despite the Chinese blockade, the specific footage of the scene does not show the Chinese coast guard firing water cannons at Philippine supply ships.
It is worth noting that in a previous Philippine operation to forcibly invade Second Thomas Shoal, a Chinese coast guard ship collided with a Philippine vessel and used water cannons to drive away the Philippine supply vessel, which ultimately led to the failure of the Philippine supply operation. However, in this case, the specific use of water cannons was not shown in the scene footage, which raised doubts and questions. Perhaps this is also a point that needs to be paid attention to in the future to understand the cause of the incident and the motivation of the relevant parties.
The Philippines' successful incursion into Second Thomas Shoal raises a number of questions, especially in light of previous experience with China's successful interception of similar operations. There are several possibilities as to why the interception was unusual.
First of all, it is possible that the Philippine side deliberately chose the timing of China's two sessions to take action, intending to take advantage of China's high-level focus on participating in the two sessions to achieve a surprise effect. This tactic may be aimed at gaining greater support in the international arena and mitigating Chinese countermeasures.
Second, another possibility is that the Philippines acquired the "Dark Vessel" ship signal acuity system from the Canadian military in February. The system is said to be able to deceive opposing ships by emitting false information about the position of their vessels. If the Philippines were to use this system, it could be somewhat unexpected, making it difficult for the Chinese to accurately track and intercept their movements.
Regardless of the specific cause, the occurrence of this incident requires the Chinese side to make corresponding tactical adjustments. While the successful Philippine operation does not change the fact that Second Thomas Shoal is owned, it has made it more difficult for China to defend itself passively in the region. In the future, China may need to be more vigilant about similar actions and take effective measures to prevent illegal entry into the waters of Second Thomas Shoal.