The rusty ship on Ren 'ai Reef is now becoming a touchstone for testing China-Philippines relations. The Philippines' recent risky and provocative actions may bring this dilapidated warship, which has been parked for 26 years, to the final conclusion.
The firefighters will burn themselves.--These six words are a solemn warning recently issued by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Philippines, and their weight is extraordinary.
In the past period of time, the Philippines stepped on China's red line on the South China Sea and Taiwan issues at the same time.Recently, he not only condoned Lin Jialong, head of Taiwan's foreign affairs department, but also continued to provoke people at Ren 'ai Reef.
China has lodged stern representations and strong protests with the Philippines in Beijing and Manila, demanding that the Philippines immediately stop fomenting and hyping up the China-Philippines maritime issue.
The Philippines recently played two cards at the same time: one is to condone the visit of the head of Taiwan's foreign affairs department in the name of "economic and trade inspection", and the other is to try to maintain the existence of warships illegally sitting on the beach at Ren'ai Shoal. These two incidents seem to be unrelated, but in fact they expose the strategic miscalculation of the Little Marcos government.
In April this year, the Philippine Presidential Office quietly restricted exchanges with Taiwan.According to the memorandum signed by Marcos, Philippine officials arrived in Taiwan only with the coordination of the Manila Office of Economic and Cultural Affairs, without the approval of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.This practice in the name of "expanding investment" and doing political coalition is a serious violation of the basic norms of international relations.
Meanwhile, the provocation of the Philippines in the Rhineland Reef is also escalating.The Philippine military even boasted that "the conflict in the Taiwan Sea is safe", and cooperated with the U.S. to deploy anti-ship missiles on the Badan Islands, just a hundred kilometers from Taiwan, to serve as the chess of the U.S. "anti-China front".
The dilapidated warship named the "Mount Madre" has been parked there for 26 years since it illegally sat on Renai Reef in the name of "mechanical failure" in 1999. This rusty and broken ship has obviously become a "medal" for the Philippines to illegally occupy our islands and reefs.
The latest situation shows that this beach ship has failed to get supplies for more than 90 days, and the Philippine soldiers on it are in a difficult situation. The tropical areas are hot and hot, the stored materials deteriorate quickly, and the soldiers face hunger, dehydration and other difficulties.
In order to relieve the survival pressure of the people on board, the Philippines attempted to send two small boats to make personnel adjustments, but they were reasonably intercepted and expelled by our country's coast guard in accordance with the law. Senior Philippine military officials encouraged the Philippine troops at Ren 'ai Reef to "persevere" and even allowed them to use appropriate force to prevent Chinese personnel from boarding the ship.
In the face of the Philippines' provocation, China has taken a series of effective measures to strengthen the control of Ren'ai Shoal. The Chinese coast guard has assembled more than a dozen ships near Ren'ai Shoal, some blocking the entrance of the lagoon, and some conducting water cannon firing drills. Air power has also joined the operation. Helicopters and drones continue to circle to monitor, forming a strict monitoring system of sea and air. This three-dimensional sealing and control mode has effectively blocked various supply attempts by the Philippines.
The Chinese side has also conducted targeted training in the lake, with dozens of ships participating in the exercise, which fully demonstrates China's law enforcement capabilities and military presence at sea, and sends a clear signal to the outside.
The most eye-catching thing is that the China Navy's southern towing ocean-going tugboat has appeared in the Renai Reef waters, only 5 nautical miles away from the Philippine Coast warship. This professional tugboat equipped with 2900 horsepower can disassemble and tow severely corroded beach-sitting ships.
The Philippines pretended to be calm on the surface, claiming that one tugboat alone could not tow the Mount Madre. However, the Philippines knows clearly that this ship has been sitting on the beach for decades. The hull has been badly corroded, and cracks may appear in the keel, and it may fall apart with a casual pull.
The appearance of Nantuo 185 marks the exhaustion of China's patience with the Philippines, and the physical clearance has entered the practical stage. In view of the fact that the structural strength of the hull has dropped significantly, if China takes action, it may use block dismantling to clean up the reef plate to avoid the risk of casualties.
The reason for the small Marcos government to risk is closely linked to the diplomatic crisis of the ruling crisis.The domestic economy continues to be depressed, the direct line of foreign investment decreases, the tourism industry is depressed, the inflation rate is up to 6.3%, and the pressure on people's livelihoods increases.
Politically, the Marcos family was investigated by the Hong Kong Financial Administration for the suspected $100 billion money laundering case, and the support rate fell to 25%, to the lowest level in 40 years.
Illusion about U.S. relations is also a factor. Although the Philippines has signed the Common Defense Treaty with the United States, the United States will also consider it carefully when it comes to direct military confrontation with China. The US aircraft carrier is always hovering 400 nautical miles away from Renai Reef, and the combat radius of the carrier-based aircraft is simply "out of reach" to the scene.
China's position on the Second Thomas Reef issue is consistent and clear. China has indisputable sovereignty over Renai Reef and its affiliated waters. The Philippines sent warships to "sit on the beach" on Renai Reef to violate China's territorial sovereignty and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.
For humanitarian reasons, China has previously allowed military ships to transport livelihoods to the Philippines, but has explicitly demanded that construction materials should not be transported.But the Philippines disregarded the goodwill and sincerity of the Chinese side, violating its own promises, continuously sending ships to deliberately provoke the reef waters, continuously spreading false information and rendering hype.
If the Philippines continues to provoke the Taiwan Strait issue and the South China Sea issue, it will surely pay a heavy price. The "Sierra Madre" of Renai Reef will eventually usher in the final chapter of its fate. The delay and fluky psychology of the Philippines cannot stop China's firm steps in safeguarding sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.
China has made it clear that the Philippines will pay a price for trampling on China's red line, and all consequences arising therefrom must be borne by the Philippines. As the largest trading partner and second largest export market of the Philippines, China holds key bargaining chips for agricultural products such as bananas.
If the Philippines persists in provocation, economic and trade countermeasures will severely damage its pillar industries. Not only that, 250,000 may become a bargaining chip in Taiwan, and agricultural exports to China are threatened. These potential costs will be a heavy blow to the Philippine economy.
There are also doubts about the government’s policy of adventure in the country, and the Senate has launched an investigation, and Foreign Commission Chairman Yimey urgently asked the government to submit a briefing on the “State of the One-Chinese Policy”, pointing directly to the risks of the president’s policy. China’s Navy’s South Trail 185-trailer has arrived in the waters near Rin Airi, just a step away from the “Madeira Mountain.”
Some people in the Philippine military said they were "not afraid" and claimed that this broken ship was their "red line". But the reality is that the broken ship that has been sitting on the beach for more than 20 years is rusty and its supplies are cut off, making it difficult for the people on board to survive.At this rate, how long can this broken ship last?
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Wooing countries outside the region to conduct exercises and falsely drawing a "red line" for Renai Reef, China has continuously voiced its voice demanding that the Philippines stop provocations.--2025-08-29 06: 33 · Global Network