The relationship between China and the Philippines is facing significant interference from American factors, causing waves to rise again on the Renai Reef. China Philippines | Renai Reef | United States
On August 5, despite China's repeated dissuasions and warnings, the Philippines sent two ships into the waters of Ren'ai Reef in the the Nansha Islands without authorization, in an attempt to transport construction materials for maintenance and reinforcement to illegal "beach sitting" warships. Chinese coast guard ships were lawfully intercepted and water cannons were used to provide warnings.
Since 1999, a Philippine warship has been illegally beached on Ren'ai Reef for 24 years. After the incident on August 5th, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs successively refuted the statements of the US State Department and the Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the issue of Ren'ai Reef, indicating China's solemn position.Behind this series of measures, there is a shadow of the United States. Chen Xiangsecond, Deputy Director of the Institute of Marine Science at the China South China Sea Research Institute, told a Beijing Daily client reporter that the US factor is currently the biggest interference factor for the return to normal China Philippines relations since former Philippine President Duterte took office.
Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines, Huang Xilian, emphasized during his meeting with Philippine Deputy Foreign Minister Lazaro on August 7th that at the beginning of this year, the two heads of state reached an important consensus on properly handling differences through dialogue and consultation. I hope that the Philippines and China will move towards each other, effectively implement the consensus of the two heads of state, stop all unilateral actions, and avoid the escalation or even loss of control of the situation.
The unilateral actions of the Philippines have escalated the conflict
Ren'ai Reef is part of China's the Nansha Islands, which is subordinate to Sansha City, Hainan Province. Located about 14 nautical miles southeast of Meiji Reef, it is an atoll 15 kilometers long from north to south and 5.6 kilometers wide from east to west. On May 9, 1999, the Philippine tank landing ship "Madre Mountain" ran aground on the reef of Ren'ai Reef, and began a 24 year "sitting on the beach" under the pretext of needing "repair" due to damage.
Chen Xiangsecond said, "On May 7th of that year, NATO led by the United States bombed the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia. Two days later, Philippine warships rushed onto Ren'ai Reef. At that time, the Philippine government promised to tow the warships away, but it has not been implemented."
The Madre Mountain was built by the United States during World War II. When it entered service in 1944, it was named the Harriet and was part of the United States Pacific Fleet. In 1976, this warship was gifted by the United States to the Philippines and renamed "Mount Madre" for service in the Philippine Navy. By 1999, the Madre Mountain had become very old.
After the Duterte administration took office in 2016, China and the Philippines reached a temporary special arrangement on the Ren'ai Reef issue, taking into account the maintenance of China Philippines relations, the promotion of a turnaround in China Philippines relations, and the proper handling of the South China Sea factors in China Philippines relations. Chen Xiangsecond introduced that in this "gentleman's agreement", both parties agreed: firstly, due to humanitarian considerations, China allows the Philippines to provide irregular supplies for personnel stationed on the "Zuotan" warship; Secondly, the supply must be communicated between both parties and inspected by the Chinese side to confirm that the supply ship has not carried any other supplies other than humanitarian supplies; Thirdly, the Philippines cannot send warships or coast guard ships into the Ren'ai Reef Lagoon.
"From the second half of 2016 to the first half of last year, China and the Philippines generally maintained a stable situation and smooth communication around the Ren'ai Reef issue, complying with the 'gentleman's agreement' reached by both sides. However, since the second half of last year, the Philippines has intentionally or unintentionally violated the agreement between the two sides. Chen Xiangsecond said that the Philippines has been transporting supplies to the 'Sitan' warship without prior notice to China, and has been carrying supplies other than cement and steel bars on the supply ship, attempting to reinforce the 'Sitan' warship.". "From the situation on August 5th, it appears that the Philippine side intends to break through the inspection of the Chinese coast guard ship and drive the ship into the Ren'ai Reef Lagoon for replenishment."
Prior to this incident, on February 6th of this year, a Philippine coast guard ship entered the waters near Ren'ai Reef without permission from the Chinese side. The Chinese coast guard ship used a handheld laser speedometer and a handheld green light indicator pen to measure the distance and speed of the Philippine ship, resulting in the so-called "excitation light irradiation" incident.
Chen Xiangsecond pointed out that the incident on August 5th is not an isolated case, and the main reason is that the Philippines unilaterally violated and undermined the "gentleman's agreement" between China and the Philippines on the supply issue of Ren'ai Reef, causing the conflict between the two sides to escalate repeatedly on this issue.
At about 9:40 on August 5, the Chinese Coast Guard 5201 carried out a warning water cannon jet on the Philippine yacht "Unaza May" 2, maintaining rational restraint throughout the process. Video screenshot
The United States is the biggest interfering factor in China Philippines relations
After the incident on August 5th, the US State Department issued a statement condemning the enforcement measures taken by the Chinese Coast Guard against the Philippines at Ren'ai Reef, and even claiming that an armed attack on the Philippine Coast Guard would trigger the US Philippines Joint Defense Treaty.
The United States is the Philippines' only treaty ally globally and has significant influence over the Philippines. Since the beginning of this year, China Philippines relations have been constantly disrupted by the United States. Chen Xiangsecond bluntly stated that the US factor is the biggest interfering factor in China Philippines relations.
At the beginning of this year, Philippine President Marcos became the first foreign head of state to visit China, and China became the first non ASEAN country he visited after being elected. After being elected as the President of the Philippines, Marcos repeatedly expressed his desire to strengthen relations with China, stating that "the strongest partner of the Philippines has always been our close neighbor and good friend China.".
After Marcos' visit to China, the interference of American factors on China Philippines relations quickly began to emerge. On February 2nd, the Philippine US Defense Ministers reached an agreement to open four more military bases to the United States; On May 1st, the Philippine President visited the White House again after a 10-year hiatus. US President Biden reiterated his defense commitment to the Philippines and once again mentioned issues such as the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.
"From the statements of the US President, State Department, and military, it can be seen that the United States intends to use the conflict between China and the Philippines to provoke another escalation of the conflict, create an environment for promoting the US Philippine military security cooperation agenda, gain more support from domestic public opinion in the Philippines, and force the Marcos government of the Philippines to support US Philippine security cooperation." Chen Xiangsecond analyzed that the escalation of friction between China and the Philippines on islands and reefs in the South China Sea was not accidental. The United States has been using and instigating some anti Marcos government forces in the Philippines to interfere and achieve its own goals.
Chen Xiangsecond pointed out that the domestic politics of the Philippines have complex characteristics, and the political system adopts the American style separation of powers model, while also leaving behind the tradition of family politics during the Spanish colonial period. After World War II, the Philippines became completely independent. Before the United States withdrew from the Philippines, a large number of pro American forces were cultivated in the Philippines. Until now, there are still many pro American forces in Philippine military and police departments. Although Marcos himself attaches great importance to the relationship between the Philippines and China and does not want to see it deteriorate, it is difficult for Marcos to formulate a foreign policy that fully meets his personal wishes due to the complex domestic conditions in the Philippines. "On the other hand, former President Duterte was already distant from the United States. Due to his different leadership styles, he also had strong control over the government and enjoyed high prestige in the military and police departments. It is worth mentioning that another former President, Arroyo, served as the Speaker of the House of Representatives at the time, giving Duterte a strong partner in parliament." Chen Xiangsecond said.
The main line of economic and trade cooperation in China Philippines relations remains unchanged
In the joint statement issued by China and the Philippines during Marcos' visit to China, the two sides emphasized that the South China Sea dispute is not the entirety of bilateral relations and agreed to properly manage differences. It is unanimously agreed that confidence-building measures contribute to enhancing mutual trust, recognizing the important role of the China Philippines diplomatic consultation and bilateral consultation mechanism on the South China Sea issue. It has been decided to establish a direct communication mechanism between the Border and Sea Affairs Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ocean Affairs Department of the Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"Although facing differences in maritime issues and interference from the United States, I believe that the main line of China Philippines relations has not changed. Both sides have established a direct communication mechanism in the maritime sector, and the main line of economic and trade cooperation is urgently needed by both sides, especially the Philippines." Chen Xiangsecond pointed out that economic revitalization is the basic governing policy of the Marcos government. If there is a major regression or misunderstanding in China Philippines relations, it will not be good news for the Marcos government facing complex domestic situations. "I am relatively optimistic about the overall direction of China Philippines' relationship, but under the interference of multiple factors such as the United States, the future of China Philippines' relationship also faces some uncertainty."
The spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines stated in a statement on the issue of Ren'ai Reef on the evening of August 8th that China and the Philippines are separated by water and are important neighbors that can never be moved away. Peace and stability in the South China Sea are in the common interests of the two peoples and also in the interests of countries in the region. Since the beginning of this year, China has successively proposed multiple maritime initiatives to the Philippines, including controlling the situation on Ren'ai Reef, and has been waiting for feedback from the Philippines. China is willing to continue to properly handle maritime issues with the Philippines through dialogue and consultation. I hope that the Philippines and China can move towards each other, initiate negotiations on relevant initiatives as soon as possible, and jointly maintain stability in the maritime situation.
"I also want to emphasize that the South China Sea is not a 'hunting ground' for countries outside the region to sow discord and sow discord. For a period of time, the United States has encouraged and supported the Philippines to repair and reinforce military ships on Ren'ai Reef, and even sent military aircraft and ships to cooperate and support the Philippines at sea. It often threatens China by fulfilling the US Philippines Joint Defense Treaty." The spokesperson said that China firmly opposes any words and actions that create tension and provoke confrontation in the South China Sea, and urges the United States to truly respect China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea, as well as the efforts of regional countries to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.
