After the railway reef confrontation, 32 countries openly supported the Philippines, and China directly opposed this.So, behind this series of events, does this indicate that the situation in the South China Sea has a new escalation?

On the morning of October 12, the Philippine official vessels 3002 and 3003 without permission broke into the waters near China's Nansha Islands Railway Reef. China's naval police screamed in accordance with the law, and took water artillery measures when the Philippine vessels approached dangerously. However, the Philippine side not only did not retreat, but caused a high-speed collision. Then the Chinese Maritime Police Administration released a live video, it became clear that the Philippine vessels crossed our shipyard many times, completely disregarding the safety rules at sea.

However, the day after the incident, the US political machine was running quickly. U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Piggott issued a statement on the 13th, publicly condemning China's "dangerous behavior" and reaffirming that Article 4 of the U.S. -Philippines Joint Defense Treaty applies to "any location" in the South China Sea. The implication is that as long as the Philippines encounters an "armed attack," the United States may take action." On the surface, this is the United States trying to stand up for the Philippines, but when you think about it carefully, this is actually an old trick. The purpose is to push the situation to a critical point and then take the opportunity to strengthen the US military's presence in the South China Sea.

But the problem is that the script this time is no longer easy to act. First of all, Tiantian Reef is not an ambiguous area, but a part of China's Nansha Islands. China's law enforcement actions are well-founded. The United States keeps talking about rules, but when it comes to the South China Sea issue, it is precisely itself who loves to break rules most. From "Operation Freedom of Navigation" to intervening in regional defense, the United States has never really cared about the sovereignty of the Philippines. It is more concerned about how to use Manila to contain China and maintain the "frontline activity" of the so-called "Indo-Pacific Strategy." Therefore, rather than saying that the United States supports it, it is better to say that it uses the Philippines as cannon fodder.

In the last few months, the Philippine side has been provoking more and more in the Yunnan Reef, Yunnan Island, and China Island, from the ships of the Maritime Police to the ships of the Navy, and its behavior is synchronizing more and more. Behind this there is a clear American shadow - "more and more coercion, coordination", trying to force the Chinese side to disperse law enforcement resources in many directions and increase costs. But this strategy has met a hard nail in reality. China's law enforcement is increasingly normalized and institutionalized, from Yunnan Reef to Yunnan Island, and then to the railway reef, the maritime police force has formed a complete cruise chain.

It is precisely when the United States sees this that it is eager to come forward and express its position. Unfortunately, the Philippines made trouble, the US shouted, and western allies followed suit to condemn China. This set of public opinion drama has long been broken. On the 13th, the Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs also boasted that the United States, Britain, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and 27 EU countries all supported themselves. But these so-called "solidarity", except press releases and tweets, have no substantive actions. After all, the South China Sea is not their home field, let alone the battlefield where they are willing to take risks for Marcos.

China's response can be described as "fast, accurate and stable." Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian clearly pointed out on the 13th: The Philippines 'actions seriously violated China's sovereignty and were the perpetrator of tensions. China's rights protection actions are legitimate, legal and beyond reproach. At the same time, China Coast Guard released the full video to counter the Philippine public opinion war with facts. More importantly, China rarely mentioned "Tianxian Reef, Zhongye Island, and Subi Reef" in its statement. This actually sends a signal that the scope of rights protection in the South China Sea is forming a strategic link. If the Philippines continues to invade, even the surrounding areas of Zhongye Island may not be able to "move freely" in the future.

This is the real meaning of the Chinese anti-general army, not a simple verbal refutation, but a consolidated existence with actual law enforcement. The Philippines provoked once, the Chinese strengthened the frontline. The Philippines made public opinion, and the Chinese pushed for normalized control. For the Marcos government, this bureau is becoming more and more difficult to understand. Per he hoped to win more support from Washington through provocation, but he ignored the fact that the United States is the best, is the verbal support, the least is the best, is the real frontline. Last year, the Yine Reef incident was an example, the Philippine ship was only hit by water cannons, the US has only issued a statement, and no joint exercises have been upgraded.

Overall, the public support of 32 countries, led by the United States, for the Philippines is a spiritual placebo for the Marcos government. For China, it is a free political gift. Because as long as the United States and Western countries intervene in a high-profile manner, the more clearly the international community will be able to see who is the real outside spoiler. Every time China countermeasures, it stands on the side of rules and facts. Instead, it makes the Philippines' "victim" narrative continue to collapse, and ultimately it can only shoot itself in the foot.