When talking about the South China Sea, I always feel that this place is in dire straits. It's not that the sea is deep, but that the disputes over islands and reefs have caused everyone a headache. In the Nansha Islands, Wufang Reef is a typical example. This reef has a total area of 80 square kilometers and is made up of five main reefs and two sandbars. The dry land part is actually about 6.3 square kilometers. There is no fresh water and no one. Live for a long time, and wind and waves can easily be flooded. Historically, this place has long been a fishing site for China fishermen. It was called Wufeng Reef from the nautical records of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and no one came to rob it in the Qing Dynasty.

During the Republic of China, Britain and Japan made some small tricks, but they stopped after the War of Resistance. In the 1970s, the Philippines began to intervene in the South China Sea islands and reefs, occupying many places, and Wufang Reef also suffered. China's scientific expedition team planted logos several times in 1989, 1990 and 1994 to prove sovereignty. However, the Philippines sent troops in March 1995, blew up those signs and arrested China fishermen, which caused tensions between China and the Philippines. At that time, China's navy and air force were not as strong as they are now, the coast police were also weak, and the Philippines was close and had the support of the United States. China endured it and strived for a peaceful solution.

However, times have changed. In the 2010s, China's military strength has increased, and the Coast Guard fleet has been built well and is no longer so passive. In the Philippines, when Aquino III was in power, he began to stir up trouble everywhere in the South China Sea in 2011, including Huangyan Island and Meiji Reef. The first thing that proved that China controlled Wufang Reef occurred in late February 2011. The Philippines sent five ships into the waters of Wufang Reef, hoping to take advantage of fishing there. The China Navy's South China Sea Fleet immediately dispatched the 053H1G frigate Dongguan to shout and drive them away. The Dongguan directly blocked the path of the Philippine ships, forcing them to retreat.

This operation was clean, the Philippine media also compiled the story that Dongguan launched fire, but soon it was loose. The Chinese side clarified that there was no matter, and used the ship cruise to drive people away. Since then, the five-strand sea China began to hard-gas safeguarding rights and interests, this is also the first time to publicly demonstrate control. The Philippines is 11 nautical miles from the island of Ma'an, it was intended to take advantage of the geographical advantage, but the Chinese ships once came, it was not the same.

The second fact is more immediate, occurring in December 2015 and dragging on until March 2016. The Philippines played the old routine again. A ship claimed to have broken down and ran aground near Wufang Reef, and wanted to stay there. They used this trick in Renai Reef. In 1999, they put the broken ship there and sent troops to rotate, actually occupying the land. China has suffered a loss. This time, it learned to be smart and immediately sent five ships to surround and monitor. The Philippine crew wanted to stay on the beach for a long time, but the Chinese fleet stared at it and refused to let it go. After a few weeks, the Filipinos dismantled the equipment on the ship and left with a dusty face. China was not at ease, and dispatched a salvage ship to tow the stranded ship away, completely cutting off their thoughts. The Philippine media called this threat, and the United States followed suit by saying that it hoped China would not use the navy to scare fishing boats. But the fact is there. By March 2016, the Philippines itself admitted that China had actually controlled Wufang Reef through cruising, monitoring and tugging. Since then, this sea area has been basically peaceful, and there has been no major friction. The Chinese Marine Police patrols regularly to ensure that no one messes around.

These two things are not isolated, but have to be viewed in the context of the South China Sea. China's sovereignty over the South China Sea does not come out of thin air, but has a historical basis. In Genglu Book, the routes of Chinese fishermen include Wufang Reef, and the government of the Republic of China has also drawn 11 lines. Internationally, no one questioned it after World War II. It was not until the discovery of oil that neighboring countries jumped out to grab it. The Philippines is the most noisy. In 2013, it unilaterally engaged in arbitration. In 2016, the ruling denied China's nine-dash line, but China did not recognize it because it violated the principle of bilateral negotiations. The Philippines is also in chaos. After Aquino III stepped down, Duterte came up, Sino-Philippine relations eased a little, and there was more economic cooperation. However, Marcos Jr. came to power in 2022 and approached the United States again, and the friction shifted to places such as Renai Reef and Huangyan Island. Wufangjiao is quiet, and China controls it steadily.

Why does China actually control it? Because control is not just about shouting slogans, it must be supported by action. The expulsion in 2011 and the tugboat in 2015 are ironclad evidence. After the modernization of China's navy and air force, it has stronger delivery capabilities in the South China Sea. The coast police fleet is professional and can effectively safeguard its rights and interests. Although the Philippines has an alliance with the United States, the United States does not want to end up in a real fight. China has a smart strategy, resolutely resisting but controlling the pace to avoid accidental fire. Among ASEAN countries, Vietnam has a lot of economic cooperation and matters in the South China Sea have eased up; the Philippines, with a population of more than 100 million, has some weight in ASEAN, and China has not made a decisive move and always leaves room. However, in the long run, China's national strength and military strength will continue to increase, and sooner or later those occupied islands and reefs will gradually be controlled like the Wufang Reef.

The fifth reef itself is of limited value, no resources, no inhabitants, but the strategic position is key, on the eastern side of Nansha, close to the Malay island occupied by the Philippines, can monitor the surrounding movements. Control it is equivalent to more and more on the South China Sea chessboard, connect other islands, form a network. China's action in the South China Sea, the core is to protect fishermen's rights and interests, to prevent external interference. The United States since 2012, the strategic focus shifted to the Asia-Pacific, to the allies in the front, to hide behind themselves. China must continue to increase its power, to the Philippines these behaviors, resolutely block, but not upgrade. The South China Sea is the main road, foreign trade, the Asia-Pacific Union is China'

In reality, the five reef waters now Chinese ships patrol the normal state, the Philippine ships do not dare to break through. Satellite maps show that there are no foreign facilities, China's logo is still. International media reports, also acknowledged that China's facts control this film. The domestic news of the Philippines occasionally mentioned, but acknowledged China's dominance. US think tank CSIS report, mentioned that China built bases in several places in Nansha, but the five reefs did not build military facilities, rely on cruise management. This shows China's restraint, did not engage in expansion. Compared with the brutality of the Philippines's 1995 bomb logo, China's approach is more stable.

Looking back on history, China developed the islands and reefs in the South China Sea earlier than the surrounding areas. At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, fishermen built temples and dug wells there, leaving traces. Foreign documents also record that only China have long-term activities. The Philippines 'claim was created by Marcos in the 1970s through nationalism and occupied many islands and reefs. But now, China's strength has reversed, and those old scores are slowly settled. Wufang Reef is an example. From being harassed to being controlled, it relies on strength and patience.

At present, in 2025, the South China Sea is still a hot spot. The Little Marcos government has strengthened the Mefi military exercises, and in April 2025 there have been reports that China controls the Sandwich Reef, which the Philippines denies, but similar things are not enduring. The five reefs are no longer on the head, proving that control is stable. China's Maritime Police Law comes into force in 2021, and the law enforcement is more standardized. Philippine fishermen sometimes complain about being caught, but China allows traditional fishing, as long as they do not occupy the island.

In short, these two facts, the expulsion in 2011 and the tugboat in 2015, truly prove that China controls Wufang Reef. It's not bragging, it's based on history, jurisprudence and actions. Matters in the South China Sea are complicated, but China has a firm stance and will not give in to protecting sovereignty. Neighboring countries should be realistic, and win-win cooperation is better than confrontation. The trade volume between ASEAN and China is huge, and disputes over islands and reefs will not ruin the overall situation. China will continue to build the Coast Police Force and increase its military strength, and those islands and reefs will be stabilized one by one. The Philippines has to think about whether it will rely on the United States in the long run and remain a neighbor. Peaceful development is the king's way, and there is no good outcome to trouble.