The South China Sea wind hurried, the Philippines again "up" the head, this time is not "crying a few slogans" so simple, but directly sent more than a dozen official vessels, hard penetrating China's Yellow Island waters.
As a result, not long after leaving the coastline, it was intercepted by the Chinese Marine Police according to law. The scene was unbearable. As soon as the water cannon was fired, the equipment of the Philippine ship was damaged, the main engine stopped, and the personnel even waved white cloth and "raised the white flag" brightly.
After a day of silence, the Philippines began to try to "supplement the photo" to save the face, the Marcos government is more " tears and acting" together, but the question is, can this "South East hit the west" operation really cover up their strategic trouble?
The silence behind the white flag.
On September 16th, the Philippines dispatched more than ten official ships, including marine police and fishery vessels, to sail to Huangyan Island in an attempt to create new hot spots in the South China Sea.
However, this "charge" was accurately intercepted by the Chinese Marine Police before it traveled 140 kilometers. China's No. 21562 and No. 5201 jointly enforced the law and directly hit back at the Philippine 3014 fishery administration ship that broke into the sea with water cannons.
A more dramatic scene that caused its cockpit to enter the water, equipment damaged, the host aircraft extinguished was that under the Chinese maritime police camera, the Philippine personnel waved white clothes, symbolically raising a "white flag".
This is not a accidental move, nor is it a mismanagement, in the face of power-suspecting maritime confrontation, this movement represents only one meaning: we acknowledge, do not want to harden.
Ironically, however, the Philippine government didn’t have any formal response all day after the incident, and this “collective silence” is not common.
In the past, there was a friction, Manila side often held a press conference for the first time, hype "harassed", this silence, probably because the outcome of the scene is too unpleasant, really no way to pack the "victim" person.
Until late in the evening, the Philippines released a photo of the so-called "supply fishing vessel" in an attempt to shift the subject, but the Chinese Maritime Police Office subsequently issued a statement, clearly pointing out that the Philippine vessel in the photo failed to get close to Huang Rong Island, and all the supply acts were shot.
Unable to hide reality.
In addition to the maritime confrontation, Marcos' recent performance has also become more and more "dramatic", the previous days, he openly tears, calling "the people of the Philippines life is difficult", a country's president, standing in front of the camera crying about people's livelihoods, looks very exciting, but the calculation behind it is not difficult to guess.
Compared with the "pragmatic diplomacy" during Duterte's time, Marcos obviously chose another path. After taking office, he not only arrested former President Duterte's men, but also took the initiative to tear up the "gentleman's agreement" reached with China in the South China Sea. At the same time, he opened multiple military bases to the US military, obviously betting on another set of "scripts".
But the problem is that the scenario works better and does not cover up the real situation, with the Philippine Bureau of Statistics data showing that the unemployment rate in July reached 5.3%, a new high in three years.
Exports of agricultural products to China are also falling sharply, especially tropical fruits and aquatic products, which directly affect the income of a large number of grassroots farmers. Economic data from Xinhua News Agency pointed out that the trade volume of agricultural products between China and the Philippines fell by nearly 30% year-on-year last year. The price behind this is that Marcos The consequences of taking the initiative to "turn against China".
More troublingly, the ASEAN internal policy towards the Philippines is also becoming increasingly impatient, the Marcos government's "making conflict, introducing external forces" practice is undermining the atmosphere of regional cooperation, and many ASEAN countries are concerned that once the situation in the South China Sea is really out of control, they are the first to be hit.
Therefore, Marcos' tears, no matter how true they are, can't change a basic fact: people's livelihood is not done well, diplomacy is ignited everywhere, and ordinary people will naturally not buy it.
China Strong Resistance
In the face of the provocation of the Philippines, China's response can be said to be both tough and steady. From September 12th to 13th, the Southern Theater of the People's Liberation Army conducted routine cruise training, and the Fujian ship also appeared in the relevant waters, releasing a clear strategic signal. This is not only a response to the current situation, but also a normalized deterrence layout.
In the vicinity of Huangshan Island, the patrol and radar system of the Chinese Maritime Police has formed, the Philippines has sent 10 official ships, and China has completed effective interception with only two main force law enforcement ships.
In terms of equipment, technology and tactics, China has a full repressive advantage.From the tonnage of the naval police vessels, communications systems, radar detection, to the range of water cannons and counter-control capabilities, the Philippines is not an opponent at all.
More importantly, the legal status of Huangshan Island is not ambiguous, according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and historical literature, Huangshan Island has been under Chinese jurisdiction since ancient times, and the so-called "traditional fishing rights" of the Philippines are not equivalent to sovereignty requirements.
China has not only strengthened its sovereignty management by establishing a national nature reserve on Yunnan Island, but also integrated ecological protection into daily governance, forming a dual strategy of "sovereignty + environmental protection".
In the face of the Philippines' performance provocation, the Chinese war zone forces have warned each other to "stop provoking immediately", the Foreign Policy magazine also pointed out that China currently in the South China Sea has the ability to "continuously counteract and control the situation", external forces try to mess up, in the end, may only be "a hassle."
This confrontation around Huangyan Island is actually a direct dialogue between strength and strategy. The Philippines is provocative, crying, and trying to find a backer by external forces. But the reality is that China's counter-measures are firmer and have a longer-term layout, and the dominance of the South China Sea cannot be won by "performance".
Marcos' tears,, can impress a part of the voters, but the outside can not cover up his strategic misjudgment, the inside can not solve the real problems of people's livelihood, international politics does not believe the tears, only recognize power and reason.
If the Philippines blindly stirs up trouble, it will only become more and more isolated in ASEAN, and eventually lose its real development opportunities. In a word: it's time for Marcos' scene to end.
Source of information:
Live footage: Facing the Chinese Coast Guard water cannon spray, the Philippine crew raised the white flag 2025-09-16 19: 08 · Red Star News