Speaking of Yellow Island, this place in the South Sea is like a small nail, nestled near the door of the Philippines, but the sovereignty is clearly Chinese. The area is poor, only 150 square kilometers of reef, the reef exposed when the tide is 3 square meters, but its importance is great. Fisheries resources are rich, oil and natural gas reserves are not small, but can also monitor the eastern South China Sea navigation.
The problem is that from 1997 to 2012, in the past 15 years, the Philippines occupied this place, making it impossible for China fishermen to operate normally and they took out all their resources. What now? China has regained actual control, but the friction has not stopped.
The historical evidence of Yellow Island has been recorded here in China since the beginning of the ocean measurement of Yellow Island. The eleven lines drawn by the national government after the Second World War also included it, and in the Map of the islands in the South China Sea in 1935, it was clearly stated that Yellow Island was Yellow Island.
In the 1970s, the Philippine Navy intercepted four Chinese fishing vessels, captured 51 fishermen, and locked up at the base in the Gulf of Sussex for more than six months. China protested, but the naval force was weak and could only rely on diplomatic procedures.
In 1998, they began to patrol the waters of Yellowstone, where fishermen were always caught while fishing. In May 1999, the Philippine Navy’s escort ship, called the “Madrid Mountains,” deliberately landed in the Yellowstone Reef, and the crew ran away, leaving the ship’s body as a nail. In the same period, their Coast Guard established a monument on the Yellowstone Reef, with a monument that said the island had belonged to them since 1980.
This monument has been erected for several months, and China can't dismantle it immediately, so it can only send a note. This trick of the Philippines is to create a fait accompli. Many countries in the world have not helped China speak because of pressure from the United States. In March 2009, the Philippine Congress passed the Territorial Sea Baseline Act, which directly included Huangyan Island in their territorial waters. As soon as the bill came out, their fishermen flocked to it, and the catch jumped from 12,000 tons to 80,000 tons per year. In 15 years, they caught 1.2 million tons of fish, worth 15 billion RMB. Chinese fishermen were squeezed out, and the losses were not small.
In the past 15 years, the Philippines occupied the island without giving up, but also blasted the Chinese frontier monument, illegal fishing, mining anything. Resources were damaged by them, the coral reef ecology also suffered. China on this side endured, sleepless and bold, the navy from weak to strong, especially before the 2012 "Liaoning" aircraft carrier service, the naval surveillance ship also upgraded. Finally, on April 8, 2012, the matter broke out. 12 Chinese fishing vessels operated in Laguna Lake, the Philippine "Del Piral" warships flooded with cannons and evacuated. China's naval surveillance ships arrived at a speed of 35 sections, 72 hours of confrontation. The old philippines, but, withdrew. From June,
After taking back, Yellowstone Island was not vacant. China did not have a big flag to fill the island, because it is sensitive, only 130 nautical miles from the Gulf of Subic in the Philippines, and it is easy to accelerate. But the construction is there. Two 20-meter-high lighthouses, 24 hours of navigation, were built on the island. In the typhoon season of 2023, 27 cargo ships, including a 17-meter wave of the Philippines, were guided. There was also an 8,000-square-meter helicopter platform, convenient for patrol. The ocean monitoring station was built to transmit water temperature data every 15 minutes, with a precision of 0.001 °C.
The ecological recovery is good, the National Oceanic Administration says the coral coverage rate is 92%, five extinct corals are recovered. German and Indonesian scientific research ships have come to study corals with Chinese facilities. The maritime police fleet has increased from 2 to 6 ships, the latest "Maritime Police 3901" discharged 1,20,000 tons, larger than the U.S. destroyer. Give the Philippine fishing vessels a quota of 30,000 tons annually, but in August 5-8 the fishing was banned, and the two sides jointly patrolled. The Yellow Island Fisheries Resource Conservation Agreement signed in 2022 governs this matter and avoids unfishing.
Putting aside disputes and jointly developing are the principles, and China has not acted recklessly. But after Marcos Jr. of the Philippines came to power, more things began to happen. From 2023, their official ships, coast guard ships, and fishing boats will break into the vicinity of Huangyan Island several times a year. In 2024, China's coast police patrols will be frequent, and points such as Nanbei Kang Shoal, Xianbin Reef, and Huangyan Island will be closely monitored. In the first half of 2025, on June 20, China Coast Guard expelled the Philippine official ship. On July 16, Chinese and Philippine ships clashed. On August 11, the Philippine Coast Guard came and there was another collision near Huangyan Island. On August 13, China's southern theater warned the US destroyer to intrude and drove it away. On August 11, China Coast Guard 3104 collided with a Philippine ship. The Philippines said that China's bow was flat and lost its ability to sail. China says Philippine ship collided deliberately.
On September 10, the State Council of China reiterated the establishment of a national nature reserve on Yellowstone Island, with an area of 150 square kilometers, the core area forbidding fishing and buffering zones. The purpose is to protect the ecology and safeguard sovereignty. The Ministry of Natural Resources said that this is the key to stabilizing the marine ecology. But the Philippines jumped, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 11 declared that it was unjustifiably illegal, the national security adviser said China was paving the way for occupation. U.S. Secretary of State Rubio on 12 struck the Philippines, saying that China destroyed stability and sacrificed the interests of neighbouring fishermen. The European Union also supported the Philippines and rejected the Chinese plan. The German Voice, RFI
On September 16, another incident occurred. China Coast Guard said that more than a dozen Philippine official ships illegally entered from different directions, and Philippine Ship 3014 deliberately collided with the Chinese law enforcement ship. China uses water cannons, shouts, and air route control. Philippine Maritime Affairs Commission spokesman Lopez retorted that China spread false news and was political propaganda. Reuters and AP News reported that the two sides accused each other of deliberately colliding. Deutsche Welle posted on X saying this was another round of confrontation in the disputed waters of the South China Sea. In August this year, a China People's Liberation Army ship chased a Philippine ship and also collided with it. Wu Shicun of Observer Network said that China has gone from a single diplomacy to a pluralistic one, establishing its authority with its words, first announcing the baseline of the territorial sea and then establishing protected areas.
What is Yuan Island now? China's actual control, the naval police regular patrol, the lighthouse is lit, the monitoring station is operating, the ecology is recovering. Fishermen can fish, but there are rules. The Philippine fishing vessels occasionally come, but the quota is controlled, not allowed to come. China has not filled the island, but experts say it is possible to build artificial islands or research stations to consolidate control. The South China Sea Research Institute issued the Yuan Island Ten Questions on April 10, reaffirming China's discovery, name, jurisdiction history, and approving the Philippines's "effective occupation since independence" is a new fake.